Today’s food travels thousands of miles before it reaches customers. Why is this so? Is this a positive or negative development?
Sample Response
These days, we no longer completely rely on locally grown food as we can purchase food grown in some distant land whenever we want. Advancements in the transportation system and technology have made it possible. Though this trend has some benefits as it widens our freedom as consumers, it has some severe disadvantages which make it a dangerous trend.
We live in a global village, and with the introduction of the speedy transportation system, food grown anywhere could be transported to other parts of the world. It ensures that people can buy many types of local and foreign fruits, vegetables and other food items from the nearby markets. "If something is not locally grown, import it" - globalisation and the advancement in technology have made it a reality.
However, this does not come without a price. The transportation of food requires burning more fuel, and this is detrimental to the environment. Just to supply internationally grown fruits, we are degrading our environment. This is a price we cannot afford to pay. Another negative impact of transporting food is putting the local farmers into competition, and they are forced to produce more items at a lower cost, and hence the increasing use of chemicals. This, in a way, is declining the quality of locally grown food items.
Furthermore, consumers are often forced to purchase imported food that was preserved and produced with the use of chemicals and preservatives. They are harmful to our health, and people are purchasing those items at higher prices. Importers cannot ensure the freshness and proper nutrition of imported food. Local sellers also preserve them for several days. This makes it less nutritious and less fresh than locally produced fruits and vegetables.
In conclusion, I believe that transporting food over a long distance is undesirable and has more negative consequences than positive ones. It threatens our local farmers, and on top of that, chemically preserved fruits and vegetables that are being imported are not a healthy choice at all.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Use precise noun Original: some distant land Suggested revision: distant countries Why it matters: “Countries” is more precise and appropriately formal in this context.
- 2. Make wording concise Original: Advancements in the transportation system and technology Suggested revision: Advances in transportation and technology Why it matters: The revision removes unnecessary wording while preserving the meaning.
- 3. Use natural collocation Original: widens our freedom as consumers Suggested revision: gives consumers greater choice Why it matters: “Greater choice” is a more natural way to describe the stated consumer benefit.
- 4. Use formal phrasing Original: the speedy transportation system Suggested revision: rapid transport systems Why it matters: The plural phrase is more natural for describing modern transport infrastructure generally.
- 5. Use present possibility Original: could Suggested revision: can Why it matters: The paragraph describes a current general reality, so the present modal is appropriate.
- 6. Remove unnecessary article Original: from the nearby markets Suggested revision: from nearby markets Why it matters: No definite set of markets has been identified, so “the” is unnecessary.
- 7. Use accurate term Original: internationally grown fruits Suggested revision: imported fruit Why it matters: Fruit is grown in a country and traded internationally, rather than grown internationally.
- 8. Correct verb use Original: declining Suggested revision: reducing Why it matters: “Decline” is normally intransitive here, whereas “reduce” can take “the quality” as its object.
- 9. Keep tense consistent Original: was Suggested revision: is Why it matters: The sentence makes a general present-time claim, so present passive forms are needed.
- 10. Use precise term Original: proper nutrition of imported food Suggested revision: nutritional value of imported food Why it matters: “Nutritional value” accurately names the quality that importers cannot ensure.
- 11. Use plural distance Original: over a long distance Suggested revision: over long distances Why it matters: The plural form suits a general statement about many food shipments.
- 12. Use precise evaluation Original: dangerous Suggested revision: harmful Why it matters: “Harmful” more precisely describes a development with damaging consequences.
Suggested Rewrites
- some distant land distant countries
- Advancements in the transportation system and technology Advances in transportation and technology
- widens our freedom as consumers gives consumers greater choice
- the speedy transportation system rapid transport systems
- could can
- from the nearby markets from nearby markets
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response presents a clear negative judgement and develops several relevant consequences in a logical sequence, especially environmental and health concerns. Its main limitation is that the explanation of why food travels so far is comparatively brief and largely confined to transport and technology, while some claims and expressions lack precision; prioritise a fuller causal explanation supported by carefully qualified, clearly expressed reasoning.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both questions are answered with a clear position, though the causes receive less development than the negative effects.
Explain additional drivers such as consumer demand, seasonal availability, or global trade economics before evaluating the consequences.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response follows a clear progression from cause to consequences and conclusion, with effective paragraphing.
Strengthen links between adjacent claims and clarify pronoun references so each supporting point follows seamlessly.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is varied and topic-appropriate, but several collocations and claims are imprecisely expressed.
Use more exact phrases for imported produce, competitive pressure, declining quality, and nutritional value.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex and simple structures are handled with generally good control, although agreement and reference slips remain.
Check noun-pronoun agreement and sentence subjects carefully, especially where singular food and plural items alternate.
Write this task while it is fresh
Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.
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
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.