Today’s food travels thousands of miles before it reaches customers. Why is this so? Is this a positive or negative development?

Same questionCompare 3 different answers (Band 7.5–8)

Sample Response

1

The modern food industry has undergone significant changes, and one of the most notable changesone of the most notable is the increasing distance that food travels before it reaches customers. This happens for different reasons, and I believe that it is a positive trendactually a positive trend that has brought several benefits.

2

One reason why food travels thousands of miles today is that global trade has expandedglobal trade has become more prevalent, and food producers can now source ingredients from all over the world. For example, supermarkets in the UK now stock tropical fruits from South America and Asia all year round, which was not possible in the past. This allows people to enjoy a wider variety of foods and have access to fruits and vegetables that are not native to their region. Another reason why food travels long distances is that it enables people to eat fresh produce year-round. In the past, people could only eat seasonal fruits and vegetables, but with modern transport systems, produce can be transported across the world and arrive at its destination in a matter of days. This means that people can enjoy fresh food all year round, regardless of the season.

3

In addition,No doubt, global food transportation has brought economic benefits to many countries. Developing countries that produce food can now export their products to other parts of the world and earn export revenueearn money from it. This has helped to boost their economies and improve the standard of living for many people. Moreover, it has expanded consumer choiceenhanced our choices as consumers. We now have a wide range of optionsa wide variety of choices when it comes to choosing foodpicking a food item. It also helps us eat a variety of foods, including fruita variety of food and fruits that keep us healthy.

4

In conclusion, while some may argue that the trend of long-distance food transportation is a negative development, I believe that it is a positive trend that has brought several benefits. It has allowed people to access a wider variety of foods, eat fresh produce year-round, and brought economic benefits to many countries.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.5

The response’s strongest feature is its clear, consistently maintained position, supported by relevant explanations of global sourcing, year-round availability, consumer choice, and export income. Its main limitation is that several points overlap or remain fairly general, especially the repeated emphasis on variety and freshness. The highest-priority improvement is to develop fewer benefits more deeply, using sharper causal analysis and a more specific example.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TR

Task Response

7.5
Scoring rule

The response answers both questions directly, maintains a clear positive position, and develops several relevant reasons and benefits.

Next step

Develop the most important benefits in greater depth and acknowledge a potential drawback before explaining why the advantages still prevail.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

7.5
Scoring rule

Ideas progress logically through causes, benefits, and a conclusion, with clear paragraphing and generally effective linking.

Next step

Reduce repetition between the cause and benefit sections so each paragraph makes a more distinct contribution to the argument.

LR

Lexical Resource

7.0
Scoring rule

Vocabulary is varied and generally precise, with effective topic language such as global trade, seasonal produce, and standard of living.

Next step

Replace repetitive uses of food, variety, and enjoy with more precise alternatives, and refine awkward phrases such as a variety of food and fruits.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.5
Scoring rule

A wide range of complex sentence structures is used with strong control, and the few lapses do not impede meaning.

Next step

Polish parallel structures and agreement in longer sentences, particularly when listing several consequences under one auxiliary verb.

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IELTS Writing Task 2

Today’s food travels thousands of miles before it reaches customers. Why is this so? Is this a positive or negative development?

Your response

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