Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-10

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

It is better to buy just a few expensive clothes, rather than lots of cheaper clothes.

Do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

It is considered that spend more money on good quality clothes is a good decision instead of buying inexpensive clothes. Although expensive dresses can be worn for a long time, people can get more varities and various colours in cheaper ones.

To begin with, the first reason why spending too much money on better quality clothes is not a wise decision is that everybody intends to get variation, be it dressing style or any other thing. That means to say, people get bored and sometimes feel ashamed too, if they wear one dress in more than one or two events. Moreover, people can get more varieties by spending same amount of money on less expensive clothes.For example, during a marriage event, the bride spends unexpected money to take one bridal dress, whereas she can get at least 3 4 dresses with less expensive fabric.

Apart from that, different colours and designs are also available in affordable prices. In other words, purchasing a single expensive dress has just one designed and limited shades on it, while, can be purchase more than one dress in the same price. Furthermore, sometimes, luxury clothes are not that comfortable stuff as much as can be offer in the less expensive ones.

In conclusion, buying good quality clothes can be long-lasting but getting less expensive clothes can offer more choices in colour, design and styles.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your response takes a position in favour of cheaper clothes, and the reasons about having more variety, colours and designs are relevant to the question. The example of a bride buying several less expensive dresses also helps illustrate your point. However, the position is not fully clear at the start: the opening says that spending more on quality clothes is “a good decision,” before the essay argues against that choice. The discussion also focuses mainly on variety; the claim that luxury clothes may be less comfortable is introduced but not explained or supported. The conclusion acknowledges durability but does not fully weigh this against your preference. The response is 21 words below the required minimum, and the ideas need further development as well as a consistent position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Its main progression—from variety, to colours and designs, and then to a final comparison—is generally easy to follow. Linking phrases such as “To begin with,” “Moreover,” and “In conclusion” help signal this organisation. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “Apart from that” introduces a point closely related to the previous paragraph, while “In other words” is followed by a new comparison rather than a restatement. The opening also conflicts with the argument that follows, weakening the overall progression. Make each paragraph develop one distinct reason and use referencing and transitions to show precisely how each example supports your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of clothing-related vocabulary, including “quality,” “varieties,” “affordable prices,” “designs,” and “long-lasting.” These choices make the topic clear, and phrases such as “dressing style” and “limited shades” show an attempt to be specific. However, several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “get variation,” “unexpected money,” “one designed,” and “comfortable stuff.” There is also a spelling error in “varities,” and “3 4 dresses” is not expressed clearly. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding your main argument, but they reduce precision and naturalness. Build accuracy by learning common combinations such as “a wider variety,” “spend a large amount,” and “comfortable clothing.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a concession with “Although” and a comparison using “while.” This gives the response some structural variety, and the main meaning is usually recoverable. However, there are several errors in sentence construction and verb forms. For example, “It is considered that spend more money” needs a subject and a correctly formed verb phrase; “while, can be purchase” is incomplete and uses the wrong verb form; and “as much as can be offer” is also missing a clear subject and has an incorrect passive form. Articles and number forms are sometimes inaccurate, as in “one dress” and “3 4 dresses.” Check that each clause has a subject and finite verb, and proofread comparisons and passive constructions.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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