Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-01
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)
Over the past few decades, people have shown their interest in buying the expensive clothes rather than lots of cheaper clothes. This has attracted attention worldwide. Although opinions differ on this matter. I agree with this statement because it has lots of advantages to buy a few expensive clothes over too many cheaper clothes. This essay will discuss the significant reasons behind it before reaching the conclusion.
One of the most famous reasons is that it enhances the personality of the person. It is true that it affects the financial condition of an individual, but it provides some unbelievable benefits while wearing expensive clothes. For instance, the great business leader always wears expensive clothes because they have to do certain kinds of business deals, where their personality matters most.
The second reason is that it may remain as much longer compared to cheaper clothes. So, at the end, the overall cost of buying expensive clothes would be equal to a lot of cheaper clothes. It may feel comfortable because the material has been used to prepare this type of clothes, which are of better quality. Some cheaper clothes may cause significant skin issues. It may deteriorate easily as compared to expensive clothes. For example, one of my friends had been exposed to cheaper clothes and was having an issue of skin irritation. It leads to an unwanted medical emergency. Ultimately, it creates a financial burden on it. While the expensive clothes were always tested through standard laboratory tests. So, in that case, a certain type of health concern may not be seen.
In conclusion, I agree to buy a few expensive clothes rather than buy lots of cheaper clothes. Because, at the end, it costs almost the same. Governments and private cloth-making companies have to implement some strict policies to control this type of concern.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. The arguments regarding personality enhancement and durability are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the claim that expensive clothes are 'always tested through standard laboratory tests' is a generalization that lacks nuance. Additionally, the conclusion introduces a new, irrelevant point about government policies, which is not supported by the preceding arguments. To reach a higher band, ensure that every point made is directly linked to the core argument and avoid introducing new, unrelated ideas in the final paragraph.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'One of the most famous reasons' and 'The second reason', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'So, at the end' and 'While the expensive clothes were always tested'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the third paragraph where the pronoun 'it' is used repeatedly, sometimes making it difficult to identify whether the subject is the clothing or the financial situation. Improved use of referencing and more sophisticated linking words would enhance the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their meaning clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'deteriorate' and 'financial burden', which are used correctly. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'it may remain as much longer' (should be 'last much longer') and 'the material has been used to prepare this type of clothes' (should be 'the quality of the fabric used'). The range is sufficient for the task but lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'people have shown their interest in buying the expensive clothes' (unnecessary article), 'it has lots of advantages to buy' (should be 'there are many advantages to buying'), and 'at the end, it costs almost the same' (should be 'in the end'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some sentence fragments, such as 'Although opinions differ on this matter.' which should be joined to the following sentence. These errors do not impede communication but occur frequently enough to limit the score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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