Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-05

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)

Whether to invest in a small wardrobe with high quality garments or to purchase a lot of inexpensive clothing has become a subject of significant debate. While the budget-friendly options offer variety and accessibility, I strongly believe that buying a few well-made clothes is superior to having a lot of cheaper clothes because it promotes environmental sustainability, durability and financial value over time. This essay will discuss all the reasons that support the agreement in detail.

First and foremost, high quality garments are built to last longer, offering better durability and lower long-term costs. Inexpensive clothes are mass produced using different synthetic fibres and poor stitching quality, causing items to fade, or lose their original shape, and sometimes wear off after a few significant washes. However, high quality fabrics that are made typically use premium materials such as wool, silk, cotton and leather. Though these cost more to produce a single piece of apparel for example leather, they endure over a decade and do not fade away even when used numerous times without degrading. Overall, the cost per wear can be considerably reduced over time compared to the frequent purchase of poor quality apparel.

Furthermore, prioritizing quality over quantity is an economically sustainable choice and mitigates the detrimental environmental impacts on fast fashion. For instance, over consuming the clothes quite often can increase the landfill waste and rapidly raises the pollution level in the water by synthetic dyes and factories that release their waste when creating mass production of the clothes by sufficing the needs of today's fashion. Consequently, purchasing fewer well-made clothes, makes consumers reject the overconsumption.

However, it is not feasible to everyone to afford the expensive attire due to their financial status. Individuals with limited budgets or rapidly growing children often rely on low-cost clothing to meet their basic needs. Nevertheless, even on a modest budget, aiming for higher quality over sheer volume—such as buying fewer, versatile items—yields better practicality and value.

In conclusion, buying a few premium quality clothes rather than accumulating an excess of cheaper garments is a safer choice due to its superior durability and promotes environmental safety.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have clearly addressed the prompt, maintaining a consistent position throughout the essay. Your arguments regarding environmental sustainability and long-term financial value are well-developed and supported with relevant examples, such as the mention of landfill waste and cost-per-wear. You also effectively acknowledge the counter-argument regarding affordability, which adds depth to your response. To reach a higher band, ensure that all supporting points are fully explored; for instance, the environmental impact section could be slightly more precise regarding how synthetic dyes specifically affect ecosystems. Overall, your response is well-structured and directly answers the question.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and you use cohesive devices such as 'First and foremost', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as in the sentence '...factories that release their waste when creating mass production of the clothes by sufficing the needs of today's fashion', where the connection between clauses is a bit clunky. Improving the flow between sentences within paragraphs would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, including terms like 'environmental sustainability', 'detrimental', 'mitigates', and 'versatile'. You use these words with reasonable precision. There are some minor collocation issues, such as 'wear off' (should be 'wear out') and 'sufficing the needs' (which is slightly unnatural in this context). Despite these small errors, your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your ideas clearly and with some sophistication. To improve, focus on refining collocations and using more precise academic phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most of your sentences are clear and error-free, which allows for easy reading. There are some minor grammatical slips, such as 'it is not feasible to everyone to afford' (should be 'it is not feasible for everyone to afford') and 'the clothes quite often can increase' (where the word order is slightly awkward). However, these errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. Your control of punctuation and sentence variety is generally strong.

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

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