Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-19

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)

Buying a limited number of expensive wears is better than buying plenty cheaper clothes. I strongly agree that one should spend their money on just very few expensive clothes rather buying multiple cheap clothes.

Expensive clothes are usually of better quality. It tends to last for a long period of time and doesn't wear out easily. I bought an expensive gown 5 years ago and the gown is still as brand new as ever, whereas all the cheap clothes i bought at the same time with my gown are all worn out and torn. Infact i have discarded all the cheap clothes i bought 2 years ago because they are all worn out.

In addition Splurging on one expensive clothe saves you time and money. The durability of the clothe will prevent you from going to shop for new clothes every now and then. You are not worried about going to a repair store or a tailor to fix one thing or another with the clothe, unlike some cheap clothes which might need you to be fixing and repairing the torn areas because of the low quality

Furthermore, Whenever i wear any of my expensive dresses it boosts my confidence. I am not worried that i would see someone else putting on the same outfit with me because of it's uniqueness. I am also confident that the clothe won't cause any unnecessary embarrassment by tearing apart. I had one humiliating experience sometime ago in the past when i wore one cheap dress to a high class event, not only did i see two or three persons putting on the same clothe with me but my zipper broke apart leaving almost naked in the midst of some many faces.

That experience was the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to me, and since then i made up my mind to always invest my money in buying few expensive clothes rather than buying plenty cheap wears.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student clearly addresses all parts of the task prompt, taking a strong and consistent position in agreement with the statement that buying a few expensive clothes is superior to buying many cheap ones. The ideas are extended and supported with relevant personal examples, such as the anecdote about the expensive gown lasting five years compared to worn-out cheap clothes, and the embarrassing incident with the broken zipper at a high-class event. The arguments regarding durability, time-saving, cost-effectiveness, and confidence are well-developed and directly support the writer's stance. While there is a tendency to rely heavily on personal anecdotes rather than broader societal arguments, the task is fully addressed with a clear position throughout, aligning well with the Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph focuses on a distinct supporting point: quality and durability, time and money savings, and personal confidence supported by an anecdotal experience. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'In addition', 'Furthermore', and 'That experience was the most embarrassing thing', though some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas into distinct blocks of text. Referencing is generally clear, though occasional minor cohesion lapses occur, placing this response solidly in the Band 6.5 to 7.0 range, comfortably achieving Band 6.5 for its overall structure and flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task and attempts less common items with varying degrees of success, such as 'splurging', 'uniqueness', and 'durability'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors, such as using 'expensive wears' and 'expensive clothe' (singular instead of plural or using 'clothing' / 'clothes'), as well as typographical or grammatical slips like 'putting on the same outfit with me' instead of 'wearing the same outfit as me'. Despite these limitations, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly, and communication is never impeded, making this a clear Band 6 performance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar with complex structures like relative clauses ('which might need you to be fixing') and conditional meanings. However, there are frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, and article usage throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('It tends to last', where 'It' refers back to 'clothes' or 'quality'), lowercase capitalization for 'Infact' and 'i', missing articles ('leaving almost naked'), and awkward phrasing ('putting on the same clothe with me'). These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent the score from reaching Band 7.

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

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