Is this a positive or a negative development? 

I assigned this task to my students in the IELTS writing course, feeling they might find it more challenging than other positive/negative tasks, and they did, but why? 

The topic is a fact explained by a ‘because’ clause, pointing to a change in shopping habits today, and we are supposed to write a commentary on the positive and negative impacts of this change. The main clause (many small local shops have closed) is in the present perfect tense, signaling that we can compare the past and the present for a good response. 

Some of you might be too young to remember, but small shops used to be seen in all neighborhoods, causing vibrancy and foot traffic, fostering social cohesion and security against criminal behavior such as burglary. However, with many of them gone, we can see the effect: The lack of bondage in communities and the increase in criminal activities on less crowded streets. 

However, this change is a good response to the changing lifestyles. Who has the time to go from one street to another looking for something, going through traffic jams? Now, we can do all that in one shot: We travel to a mall often built outside heavy traffic-prone zones with ample parking spaces and buy what we need in a quick, entertaining experience. 

However, many of my students understandably wrote about the increase in unemployment rates, which might not be relevant here. The task does not say that the small shops are closing one after another; it says that many small shops have already closed, so many have already lost their jobs and must have already found employment. 

Also, some of the essays mainly concerned how good malls are, with comments on 3D cinemas, the fun escalator rides, or the availability of all sorts of underwear in a mall. However, the task is not about the advantages of malls; it is about a change in people’s shopping habits and their movement towards large rather than small shops.  

I hope this has been helpful.