Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-18

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)

The rapid growth of e-commerce has arguably raised concerns whether the it will result in closure of all shops in towns and cities or not. I firmly believe that this is not going to happen and following are some of reasons that these shops will continue to thrive.

Firstly, I believe with the trend of online shopping, many shops and retailers have felt an extreme competition to grow and effectively focus more on the physical experience of retail shopping. For example, many outlets now offer ambient atmosphere for customers and people can actually experience the items that they are going to buy.

Additionally, many people prefer to try the items on before they make a purchase. This is particularly true for several wearables like clothing, jewellery and shoes. This experience is there to stay and cannot be replicated through online platforms. For instance, a couple purchasing a necklace would love to visit the store in person to try on and experience how it feels; rather than ordering it online.

Looking at the positive side, these platforms come in handy especially for people with disabilities and who cannot visit the shops in person regularly.

Apart from that, families go to stores and malls for outings and gatherings as well. They prefer to enjoy the environment of shopping in reality while also have the flexibility to dine in at the food courts nearby.

Conclusively, I believe it plays a major role in the economical development of society and is benefiting a lot of consumers. At the same time, the shops and markets are a great source of activity for people. People will continue to shop at these places in person.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear from the introduction—“this is not going to happen”—and remains consistent in the conclusion. You address the question with several relevant reasons: customers value trying products in person, shops offer a social outing, and online services help people with disabilities. The examples about clothing and jewellery make the argument more concrete, and the response is generally extended and supported. Some claims, however, are broad rather than fully explained, such as saying the physical shopping experience “cannot be replicated” online. The point about online shopping benefiting people with disabilities also needs a clearer link to why physical shops will remain open. Develop these ideas with more precise explanation or evidence to make the support more convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, body paragraphs present reasons, and the conclusion restates your position. Ideas generally progress logically, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “Additionally,” and “Apart from that” help readers follow the argument. However, the linking is somewhat formulaic, and the paragraph beginning “Looking at the positive side” feels disconnected: it discusses an advantage of online shopping without explaining how it supports your central claim. The conclusion also introduces economic development without developing that point earlier. Use transitions that show the relationship between ideas, and group related arguments so each paragraph clearly advances the case that physical shops will continue to exist.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of topic vocabulary, including “e-commerce,” “physical experience,” “online platforms,” and “food courts,” and the meaning is consistently clear. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “ambient atmosphere” and “flexibility to dine in.” Some word choices and collocations are less natural or precise, however: “extreme competition to grow” does not clearly express the pressure retailers face, while “economical development” is not the usual phrase for this idea. “Wearables” is also less suitable than a direct term such as “clothing and accessories” in this context. Aim for accurate, natural combinations of words rather than more elaborate phrasing; this would improve precision while preserving your good range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “while” and “especially for people with disabilities.” Most sentences communicate your meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. In the opening, “whether the it will result” contains an unnecessary article, and “following are some of reasons” needs a determiner. The sentence “They prefer to enjoy the environment of shopping in reality while also have the flexibility” has an inconsistent structure after “while”; use “while also having” or “while they also have.” There is also a sentence fragment in “For example, many outlets now offer ambient atmosphere…” only if read as written? It is a complete sentence, but it needs an article before “ambient atmosphere.” Review articles, parallel structures, and verb forms, while continuing to use varied sentence patterns.

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