Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-29

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 today’s fashionable world, clothes play vital role in people’s life. Where some people believe that having high quality clothes are better than variety of low standard clothes. I firmly agree to the later statement and my reasons to believe so will also be discussed further with relevant examples.

The primary reason is they are cost effective so different class of backgrounds people can buy and maintain their wardrobe upgrades by frequently adding new clothes. Moreover, there are some brands providing high quality of clothing with low price through they are not big brands. For example, Lifestyle is not big brand but it provides good quality of clothes and accessories with low price , also it is available in almost all the malls in all the cities.

Second reason is flexibility in fashion choices. Nowadays fashion changes rapidly with upgrades versions so people can try different styles as they are cheap and affordable. In addition to this, cheap clothes are comfortable and practically possible to wear in daily life. For example, branded clothes can’t be worn while cooking or gardening.

On the flip side, expensive clothes also can not be avoided as it is a part of rich people’s lives. Some people believe in standard of living so they always choose high standards of clothes as per their profession. Another reason is they are durable , feel comfortable according to fitting and looks stylish.

To conclude the discussion, cheap and variety of clothes have more advantages as every country has different background of people. However, high standard people’s choice and preferences can not be overlooked

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt, but the position is somewhat contradictory. While you state you 'firmly agree' that expensive clothes are better, your arguments primarily focus on the benefits of cheaper clothes. Furthermore, the final paragraph introduces a counter-argument that undermines your initial stance, making the overall position unclear. To improve, ensure your main body paragraphs consistently support your chosen side. The ideas are relevant but could be developed with more depth; for example, the mention of 'Lifestyle' as a brand is a good attempt at an example, but the explanation of why it is 'cost-effective' could be more analytical to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'In addition to this', and 'On the flip side' to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is occasionally disjointed. For instance, the transition between the second and third paragraphs is abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the use of 'the later statement' (should be 'latter') and 'through they are not big brands' (should be 'even though'). Improving the variety and accuracy of your linking words will help the flow of your arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your meaning, but there are several instances of imprecise word choice and awkward collocations. Phrases like 'fashionable world', 'low standard clothes', and 'upgrades versions' are understandable but not natural English. There are also some minor errors in word form, such as 'high quality of clothing' instead of 'high-quality clothing'. To improve, focus on learning common collocations related to fashion and consumerism. While you attempt to use some less common vocabulary, the inaccuracies occasionally make the writing feel slightly repetitive or unnatural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('a vital role'), subject-verb agreement, and preposition usage. For example, 'different class of backgrounds people' is grammatically incorrect and confusing. There are also punctuation issues, such as missing spaces before commas and inconsistent capitalization. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to distract the reader. To reach a higher band, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed correctly.

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

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