Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-30

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)

In todays growing fashionable era, it has become an important part of life to buy new clothes and accessories. It has been said that instead to buying more cheaper clothes, people should buy few expensive ones that can be used for longer period. I extremely believe that this is a better idea and it holds a number of benefits.

Initially, It is a misconception that the good quality and branded clothes are always expensive. This phenomena drives people to buy cheaper goods like attires, that are of poor quality and less reliable; eventually making people buy new ones after a short time. However, If they buy good quality garments, they can wear them for long period, certainly saving money afterwards. Individuals

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which severely limits your ability to develop your ideas. While you clearly state a position in the introduction, the essay is incomplete and stops abruptly after only one paragraph of body content. Because the response is less than half the required length, it fails to address the task fully. To improve, you must expand your arguments with specific examples and ensure you provide a full essay structure, including a clear conclusion, to meet the word count and demonstrate a more comprehensive exploration of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay shows an attempt at logical organization, using transition words like 'Initially' and 'However' to connect ideas. However, because the text is incomplete and lacks a conclusion, the overall progression is interrupted. Paragraphing is present, but the second paragraph is unfinished, which disrupts the flow of the argument. To achieve a higher band, ensure that each paragraph is fully developed and that the essay has a clear, logical structure from introduction to conclusion, using a wider range of cohesive devices to link sentences and paragraphs more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have a basic range of vocabulary that is generally appropriate for the topic, such as 'misconception', 'reliable', and 'garments'. However, there are some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'instead to buying' (instead of buying) and 'This phenomena' (this phenomenon). The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, but it lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and ensure you are using the correct forms of words, such as singular and plural nouns.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'In todays growing fashionable era' (missing apostrophe), 'instead to buying' (incorrect preposition), and 'few expensive ones' (should be 'a few'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, such as the unnecessary capitalization of 'It' in the middle of a sentence. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation rules, and try to incorporate more complex structures with greater accuracy.

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