Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-21

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 6.5)

In this contemporary era, the trend of online shopping is growing tremendously. It is believed that due to the increasing trend of shopping online, all the small stores in urban and rural areas will permanently be closed. I agree with the statement that virtual shopping will be preffered more but not all of the small shops will close.

There are several factors due to which shopping is generally done online. Firstly,in the inflation period, both couples are burning the midnight oil due to which they do not get time to go out and shop. Not only this but also they get extremely tired that they prefer to order stuff while they are relaxing which save their time and efforts. Secondly, virtual shopping provides various benefits such as, comparing prices, huge variety and so on. For instance, if someone is doing online shopping they can use various applications at a same time like amazon, shein, flipkart, etcetera. Therefore, it is more cost-efficient.

The reasons due to which, I believe not all of the stores can shut down completely. First and foremost, there are certain valuable items which masses generally do not prefer to buy online such as precious metals and jewelleries. The reason associated behind this is that these items are quite expensive so, trusting someone is not easy. In addition to this, items like perishable goods can not be ordered through phone because they can rot. Furthermore, even the small stores in cities and town has started uploading their products online so that they can sell it easily to the local people.

In conclusion, although due to the ease and flexibilty online shopping is more in demand, I believe it is affecting offline stores but not all stores will permanently close in the upcoming times due to reasons explained above.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position on whether all high street shops will close due to online shopping growth. The student agrees that virtual shopping will be preferred, but disagrees that it will cause 100% of small shops to close. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as mentioning high-value goods like precious metals and jewellery, perishable items, and the adaptation of small local stores going online. While some points could be expanded further, the overall argument is well-supported throughout, earning a solid Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Ideas are grouped into appropriate paragraphs, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs representing different facets of the argument, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion'. However, there are occasional slightly awkward transitions or repetitive phrasing ('The reasons due to which'), and referencing can sometimes be slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, supporting a clear overall structure that fits the Band 7 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and phrasings such as 'contemporary era', 'burning the midnight oil', and 'cost-efficient'. However, there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and spelling, such as the spelling error 'preffered' and phrasing like 'during the inflation period' or 'at a same time'. Despite these minor errors, the vocabulary is generally precise enough to convey the intended meaning without impeding communication, aligning well with a Band 6.5 or 7.0; given the flexibility shown, a Band 6.5 is appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over relative clauses and conditional-like structures (e.g., 'if someone is doing online shopping they can use...'). There are, however, several grammatical errors and punctuation issues present, such as missing articles ('at a same time'), incorrect singular/plural agreement ('town has started'), and slightly run-on sentence structures in the body paragraphs. These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from achieving a Band 7.

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