Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-12

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)

In recent times, a lot of people say that it is better to buy a few expensive clothes rather than buying and stocking some cheaper clothes. I completely agree, as I believe buying the expensive clothes not only provide the respect in society, but also gives a value of money.

The prominent reason to buy the expensive clothes could be the respect in society. To explain, there is a class of people in society who judge the other people on the basis of what they have worn, which brand they have worn and how much they have spent on it. So, once they verify these taglines, they start respecting the others. According to them the more costlier clothes people wear, the more prestigious they are. So, if buying the expensive clothes provide a respect in people's eye, then why not people should buy it?

Apart from this, buying the expensive clothes provide the value for money. To elaborate, people often do not purchase expensive clothes because they feel they are costlier, but what they do not see is their quality. Generally expensive clothes have a better quality fabric and material, so it may not get vanished easily. Also, the expensive clothes usually last for too long, and people may not have to buy clothes again, which they might have to do when they buy cheap clothes. For example, people usually buy Raymond's shirt or Peter England's tshirt.

To conclude, yes, buying the expensive clothes require a major investment of money. However, as far as I concern every person should check the advantages it has compare to purchasing cheap outfits.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt clearly and maintains a consistent position throughout. The arguments regarding social status and value for money are relevant and logically developed. However, the development is somewhat superficial; for instance, the argument about 'respect in society' relies on a generalization that people judge others solely by clothing brands, which could be explored with more nuance. While the ideas are supported, the explanation could be more sophisticated to reach a higher band. The conclusion is brief but summarizes the main points effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central topic. Cohesive devices such as 'Apart from this', 'To elaborate', and 'To conclude' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother. For example, the transition from discussing quality to the specific brand examples is a bit abrupt. Overall, the logical progression is clear, and the paragraphing is appropriate for the task.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'prominent' and 'prestigious', which are used correctly. However, there are instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'verify these taglines' and 'get vanished easily', which sound unnatural. The range is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, but lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('buying the expensive clothes provide') and incorrect comparative structures ('more costlier'). Additionally, there are minor errors in article usage and prepositional phrases ('as far as I concern'). These errors occur frequently enough to be noticeable but do not significantly impede communication. A greater variety of error-free complex structures would be needed for a higher score.

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

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