Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-07

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 5.0)

It is often argued about that major topic about buy expensive clothes or lots cheaper clothes. That is totally world level debate about that because that is totally depends on the person mentality and wealth. So, basically it all depends on the country which you are lived.

I was totally disagreed with expensive clothes because that would describe a false image on the serious community of the persons. The expensive clothes are totally waste of money. because if the expensive things are not sold at the price which given at first when we buy then why buying that is totally useless. The real wealth people and the people who are trying to be high in the people's eyes they only buy to show off in the community of people try to feel them bad why they were poor.

I was totally agreed with the cheaper clothes because that shows that you care about people because that clothes are worn to hide the body so the other wouldn't see. That is only basic and major need after that used the money on clothes is totally useless. So, the major benefit of the lots of cheaper clothes you can easily give them too needy persons without worries but if you have very expensive clothes, you will never help someone who is needy.

So, in my views the cheaper ones are the best ones because that would help others when they need that is the best thing in my view.

I have very recent examples about one time a beggar wants something from the people who was cheaper clothes they help him very gently.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position, but the development of ideas is limited and often repetitive. While you argue that cheaper clothes are better because they allow for charitable giving, the reasoning is somewhat simplistic. The argument that expensive clothes are a 'waste of money' is stated but not fully explored with nuanced examples. The final example regarding a beggar is too brief and lacks the necessary detail to effectively support your position. To improve, focus on expanding your arguments with more logical depth and specific, relevant examples that clearly illustrate your point of view.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as the repetitive use of 'that is' and 'so'. Transitions between ideas are sometimes abrupt, making the flow feel disjointed. For example, the shift from discussing wealth to the purpose of clothing lacks a smooth logical connection. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and phrases (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in contrast') to connect sentences and paragraphs more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive, relying on basic terms like 'clothes', 'money', and 'people'. There are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'person mentality', 'real wealth people', and 'serious community of the persons'. These errors occasionally make the intended meaning difficult to grasp. To improve, you should work on expanding your vocabulary to include more precise nouns, adjectives, and collocations related to consumerism and social status. Avoid using the same words repeatedly and try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that often impede communication. There are consistent issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'that clothes are worn'), incorrect verb tenses (e.g., 'I was totally disagreed'), and sentence structure (e.g., 'It is often argued about that major topic about buy expensive clothes'). Many sentences are simple or contain structural errors that make them difficult to parse. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring correct tense usage, and proofreading for common errors like missing articles or incorrect prepositions. Increasing your use of complex sentence structures will also help improve your score.

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

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