In many countries, people like to eat a wider range of food that cannot be grown in their local place. Therefore, much of the food people eat today has to come from other regions. Do you think the advantages of this development outweigh disadvantages?
Sample Response
These days, it is quite common for people to eat foods that are not, or cannot, be grown or produced where they live. As a consequence, large quantities of food are either transported long distances within a country or imported from other countries. This essay will review some of the advantages and disadvantages of this trend.
Thanks to globalisation, improvements in transport efficiencythe increase in efficient transportation between and within countries, and growing interest in international cuisinea growing trend in food culture, people can now enjoy a vast array of foods more readily than ever beforelike never before. This trend has many advantages. Firstly, having access to a wide variety of foods from different regions can provide people with a varied and nutritious diethighly nutritious diet that can help to promote health and prevent disease. Delete(1) For example, some nutrient-rich berriessome kinds of nutrient-rich berries that can only be grown in Asia can now be enjoyed by people all over the world. Furthermore, with such a growing interest in exotic foods and international cuisineinterest in exotic foods and food culture, people can experience a range of cuisinescuisine without leaving their own town or city.
However, this trend also comes with a number of disadvantages. For example, some communities around the world where exotic and rare foods are grown are losing access to these foodstheir own access to their food sources. When demand for a certain food increases, its price also risesthe price also increases, and people in poorer countries where the food is grown sometimes cannot affordcan sometimes not afford itto buy it anymore. Delete(2) Another problem with this trend is that the frequent transportation of foodconstant transportation of foods over long distances contributes to climate change due to the high level of carbon emissionslarge amount of carbon emissions produced by transportation. Delete(3) LastlyAnd lastly, many foods that are transported long distances need to be treated with chemicals and preservatives which make them less healthy to consume. Delete(4)
Overall, although there are many benefits to having access to a wide variety of foods, I believepersonally, I believe that the disadvantages of this trend outweigh the advantages.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response is strongest when it explains several concrete disadvantages through clear cause-and-effect chains while maintaining a definite final position. Its main limitation is that the judgement that disadvantages outweigh benefits is stated more than demonstrated because the two sides are mostly presented in sequence; prioritize explicitly comparing their scale or long-term importance and refining a few awkward expressions.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response addresses both advantages and disadvantages, supports them with relevant examples, and gives a clear final judgement.
Demonstrate the outweigh judgement by directly comparing the relative importance or duration of the strongest benefit and disadvantage.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas are logically grouped and easy to follow, with clear progression from benefits to drawbacks and the final position.
Remove the intrusive numbered markers and use subtler internal links to make the organisation feel more natural and continuous.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and generally precise, with effective topic language despite occasional awkward combinations such as ‘a range of cuisine’.
Check noun forms and collocations carefully, especially when describing varieties of food, transport efficiency, and consumer access.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A broad range of complex structures is used accurately, and the few minor issues do not impede communication.
Polish occasional awkward constructions and sentence openings, such as ‘can sometimes not’ and ‘And lastly,’ for more consistent control.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
In many countries, people like to eat a wider range of food that cannot be grown in their local place. Therefore, much of the food people eat today has to come from other regions. Do you think the advantages of this development outweigh disadvantages?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.