Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-16
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
The growth of online shopping will one day lead to all shops in towns and cities closing.
Do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 6.0)
According to the recent article which appeared last year, I figured out that there was a huge closure of shops which is due the growth of online shopping. According to my perspective, I do not believe that all retail or whole sale shops can be closed completely.
On one hand , we may see online shopping provide offers, discounts and have advantage like convenienece and provide wider selection of items. For example, these days we can buy food items,cloths, electronic items are delivered quickly and at affordable rate. People busy with work can effortlessly buy their products through online shopping rather than physical shopping.Due to these reason, some shops may close as they cannot compete with the online retailers.
Howevere, some shops continue to exists as some people like me would like to purcahse items by physical shopping.
For instance, some products like luxury brands, or fresh foods and selling specialised products which cannot be experienced through online shopping.Additionally some people still prefer to see and touch products before buying the products and we can identify the products whether it is damaged or not. Where as in online shopping, some of the produtcs can be damaged while shipping and also, they might send different sized or cloured product which we didnt order as it may be out of stock or due to some other reas.
In conclusion, online shopping may be likely to reduce the num ber of physical shops, it is unlikely that all shps will close.
Instead we may see a shift where physical stores provide specialised and focused unique experience which cannot given be online shopping.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position regarding whether all physical shops will close due to online shopping. The writer develops ideas across body paragraphs, highlighting reasons why some shops might close, such as convenience and discounts, while arguing that specialised, luxury, and fresh-food stores will survive. However, some arguments lack deep extension, and the opening relies on an anecdotal personal reference ('I figured out') rather than directly framing the essay prompt. Overall, the main tenets of the task are adequately covered, fulfilling the criteria for Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a recognisable introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as the advantages of online shopping versus the counter-arguments supporting physical retail. However, cohesive devices are at times faulty or mechanical, as seen in awkward transitions like 'On one hand' without a corresponding 'On the other hand', and 'Where as' used incorrectly as a sentence starter. Referencing can also be unclear, for example with repetitive phrasing such as 'buying the products'. This places the response firmly within Band 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, with some attempts at less common items such as 'convenience', 'specialised products', and 'luxury brands'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice inaccuracies throughout the text, including 'whole sale' instead of wholesale, 'convenienece', 'cloths' instead of clothes, and 'purcahse'. Furthermore, collocation and lexical control are occasionally weak, such as 'selling specialised products which cannot be experienced'. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they prevent the text from achieving a higher band, making Band 6.0 appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses ('which cannot be experienced through online shopping') and conditional-style reasoning. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues, such as missing articles ('due the growth'), incorrect preposition use, and run-on sentences with comma splices ('Additionally some people still prefer...'). Another example includes 'online shopping may be likely to reduce the num ber of physical shops, it is unlikely that all shps will close.' These errors cause some distraction for the reader, aligning the grammar with the Band 5.0 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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