Many people consider shopping malls as great places to spend their leisure time and meet others. People in the past, however, visited shopping malls only when necessary.
To what extent do you think this is a negative trend?
📌 Note: This question appeared in the IELTS Writing exam on 13th August, 2025.
2025 IELTS Writing Task 2 Questions - Click to view all
Band 9 Sample Answer:
It is true that shopping malls are increasingly being used not only as retail centres but also as places where people spend their leisure time and meet friends. I firmly believe that this is a negative development.
There are several reasons why turning malls into social and recreational hubs is problematic. Firstly, it encourages a culture of consumerism. When young people or families gather at malls to socialise, they are constantly exposed to advertisements and sales strategies, which subtly push them to buy more than they need. This creates unnecessary spending and promotes materialistic values. Secondly, the overuse of malls as leisure spaces limits healthier and more enriching pastimes. Instead of visiting parks, libraries, or cultural spaces, people end up spending their free time in commercial environments, which neither benefit physical health nor intellectual growth.
Furthermore, I believe this trend is detrimental to community life. Traditionally, people bonded with others in open, public spaces that encouraged inclusivity and free interaction. Malls, however, are private spaces designed primarily for profit, meaning that social life becomes tied to financial capacity. Those who cannot afford frequent shopping may feel excluded or pressured to participate in consumer-driven activities. Moreover, such dependence on malls can also harm local businesses, as smaller shops or traditional markets struggle to compete with large retail chains housed in malls.
In conclusion, the tendency of people to treat shopping malls as leisure and meeting places should be seen as a negative development. It fuels consumerism, limits healthier recreational choices, and weakens community bonds by turning social interaction into a commercial experience. Society would benefit more if people invested their free time in public, educational, or cultural spaces rather than in shopping complexes.
WhatsApp Us for 1-on-1 IELTS Training!
Band 9 Insights Based on IELTS Writing Band Descriptors
1. Task Response
- Fully addresses the question: discusses the trend of malls being used for leisure and argues it is a negative development.
- Clear stance from the introduction: “I firmly believe that this is a negative development.”
-
Well-developed arguments:
- Consumerism and unnecessary spending (“constantly exposed to advertisements and sales strategies”).
- Reduced healthy pastimes (“instead of visiting parks, libraries, or cultural spaces”).
- Community exclusion (“social life becomes tied to financial capacity”).
- Balanced explanation with concrete examples ensures there are no unsupported claims.
2. Coherence and Cohesion
- Logical progression: introduction → first set of negatives → further negatives → conclusion.
-
Effective use of cohesive devices:
- Additive connectors (“Firstly… Secondly… Furthermore… Moreover…”).
- Contrastive phrasing (“Instead of visiting parks… people end up spending their free time in commercial environments”).
- Reference words avoid repetition: “this trend,” “such dependence,” “those who cannot afford.”
- Clear paragraphing: each body paragraph tackles a distinct angle of the problem.
3. Lexical Resource
-
Wide range of precise vocabulary:
- Consumerism-related: “materialistic values,” “unnecessary spending,” “consumer-driven activities.”
- Community/social terms: “bonded with others,” “weaken community bonds,” “inclusivity.”
- Strong collocations: “healthier recreational choices,” “fuels consumerism,” “traditional markets struggle.”
- Formal academic tone throughout with no casual or repetitive wording.
4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy
-
Variety of sentence structures:
- Complex sentences: “When young people or families gather at malls to socialise, they are constantly exposed to advertisements and sales strategies, which subtly push them to buy more than they need.”
- Parallel structures: “It fuels consumerism, limits healthier recreational choices, and weakens community bonds…”
- Error-free grammar and punctuation.
- Balanced mix of simple, compound, and complex sentences for clarity and sophistication.
Share this article with other IELTS aspirants!