Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-31

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 6.5)

The significance of clothes, which has always been a debatable topic, has now become more controversial, as some individuals believe that rather than wasting money on cheap clothes, one should buy a limited number of branded clothes. I disagree with this viewpoint and will provide further explanation in the upcoming paragraphs.

To begin, spending money on branded clothes is not affordable for everyone, especially for middle-class individuals. To expound, people working at a low income have to deal with other financial problems, which include rent, utilities, and installments, if any. While spending on expensive clothes, you can become financially poor, which causes not only health ailments but also leads to stress and anxiety. Moreover, at some workplaces, employees are required to wear formal clothes; in that case, if they buy a few branded clothes, they have to wear them on a repeated basis due to a strict budget and no clothing choice, which leads them into depression and feelings of embarrassment in front of other employees.

In addition, buying cheap clothes provides them with a sense of financial security, as they can buy in larger quantities from the local market, giving them the choice of selecting different outfits daily. Furthermore, they can devote more time to other investing options that can generate interest rather than wasting it on branded clothes.

In conclusion, people should buy cheap clothes daily, as they are affordable and can help to prevent financial problems. One should save that money and reinvest it in a profitable investment, which generates some interest and helps you financially secure.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

You have clearly stated your position and maintained it throughout the essay. The ideas are relevant, focusing on financial constraints and the benefits of variety. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the link between wearing the same clothes and 'depression' is a significant leap that lacks sufficient logical support or nuance. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are more thoroughly explored and grounded in realistic scenarios rather than extreme outcomes. You have addressed all parts of the prompt, but the depth of analysis could be improved to provide a more convincing argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin', 'Moreover', 'In addition', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some of these transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the internal structure of the second paragraph is a bit cluttered with too many disparate points (financial stress, health, and workplace embarrassment). Improving the flow between sentences within paragraphs would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, such as 'financial security', 'profitable investment', and 'debatable topic'. There are some instances of slightly unnatural word choices, such as 'financially poor' (which is not a standard collocation) and 'investing options' (where 'investment opportunities' would be more precise). While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, there is a lack of more sophisticated or 'less common' lexical items that would elevate the response to a higher band. Focus on using more precise collocations and varied academic terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'the significance of clothes... has now become more controversial' (a bit awkward) and 'helps you financially secure' (should be 'helps you to be financially secure'). Punctuation is generally accurate, but there are minor issues with sentence construction that occasionally impede the flow. To improve, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and using more varied complex structures with greater precision to reduce the frequency of these minor errors.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.