Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-14

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 recent times, there has been a growing trend of online shopping among the people. While some people believe that this emerging trend will eventually lead to the closure of all shops in cities, others dispute this view. I firmly believe that online shopping will soon replace in-store shopping due to the convenience and flexibility it offers. As a result many shops in cities and towns are likely to close down.

Opponets assert that stores can never be fully shut down, as many people still prefer to check the product quality and its features without relying on photos shown on the websites. To illustrate, my sister never trusts the online pictures for purchasing a product, as she believes that sometimes there are great colour variations between the actual dresses and those shown online. Moreover, sometimes the websites have fake reviews and ratings for a given product or an article. These reviews cannot be trusted unless physically verified.

Although, online shopping has certain drawbacks, the convenience and flexibility it offers to customers and brand owners certainly encourage people to purchase things online, which will eventually lead to closure of shops in cities in the long run. With online shopping, people do not have to travel long distances to purchase a specific produuct, they can now do it with just one click on their mobile phones. To illustrate, with my busy schedule, I have always preferred remote shopping, as it helps me to save time. Moreover, online shopping trend is cost-effective for business owners because they would not have to pay high rents and electricity bills of their shops. For example, with the rising inflation in Pakistan, many business owners have closed down their stores to save the cost of logistics and now have only online operations.

In conclusion, I reaffirm my conviction that the convenience and time efficiency offered by remote shopping encourage consumers to buy products online. Moreover, many business owners will benefit from online shopping trend, as it will help them to save the cost of logistics. These benefits are likely to cause closure of stores in towns and cities in the near future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you agree that online shopping is likely to lead to shop closures, and the conclusion reinforces this view. You address the opposing argument about customers wanting to inspect products, then explain convenience for shoppers and lower operating costs for businesses. The examples about your sister and business owners in Pakistan make the discussion relevant and help extend the main points. This is a well-supported response overall. To strengthen it further, develop the prediction that *all* shops will close more carefully: the essay mainly explains why closures may increase, without considering whether some types of shops could remain necessary. The claim that online shopping will “soon replace” in-store shopping is also stronger than the evidence provided.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph presenting the counterargument, a paragraph explaining your position, and a conclusion. Ideas generally progress logically, and signposting such as “To illustrate,” “Moreover,” and “In conclusion” helps readers follow the argument. Your position also remains consistent after the counterargument. However, some linking is mechanical because several points are introduced with the same transitions, particularly “Moreover” and “To illustrate.” The opening sentence of the third paragraph begins “Although,” but its relationship to the preceding counterargument could be made more explicit. Use a wider range of links and clearer references between ideas to make the progression feel more seamless.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “convenience,” “flexibility,” “physically verified,” “cost-effective,” and “logistics.” These choices communicate the main ideas clearly, and some less common expressions show an effort to be precise. However, several phrases are repetitive or not fully natural, such as “online shopping trend” and “closure of shops in cities.” There are also spelling errors, including “Opponets” and “produuct,” which reduce accuracy. “Remote shopping” is understandable but less idiomatic in this context than “online shopping.” Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling carefully; this would make the vocabulary more flexible and precise without changing your clear meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including contrast clauses (“While some people believe…”) and a conditional construction (“unless physically verified”). Most sentences are understandable, and errors rarely obstruct the argument. Some grammatical and punctuation slips remain. For example, “As a result many shops” needs a comma after the introductory phrase, while “Although, online shopping…” incorrectly places a comma after “Although.” In “With online shopping, people do not have to travel long distances to purchase a specific product, they can now do it…,” two independent clauses are joined with a comma; use a full stop, semicolon, or conjunction. Review punctuation around introductory clauses and avoid comma splices to improve control.

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