Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-24

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 realm of fashion industry, there is an ongoing debate that wheather one should by few expensive clothes, or one should prioritize a lot of cheap clothes. According to me, buying fewer expensive clothes is a pragmatic decision as they are more reliable and is a feasible option for an individual routine.

Firstly, expensive clothes usually come with a great quality. Most of the well known expensive outlets globally have proven their quality over the past many years. An item that might seems expensive in the first impression will definitely outlast a cheap item. This result in cost savings in longer run, as it prevents the customer from buying more clothes due to the wear down of existing cheap outfit. An item bought from a well known desinger which is usually expensive can even last a decade.

Additionally, buying few expensive attires prevent one from deciding what to wear on a specific day, as compared to an individual whose wardobe is filled with cheap clothes. In recent fast pace socities, wasting your precious time on such acitivities will not be a wise decision. Having few expensive clothes which mostly have proper matching pairs will save one time and a lot of headache. This also leads to proper management of your wardrobe and a convinient laundry.

In a nutshell, buying few expensive clothes is a pragmactic act as compared to buying a lot cheap clothes.As it complements the concept of quality over quantity, along with it's practicality and conviniency in one's day to day life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position regarding whether it is better to buy expensive or cheap clothes. The response puts forward relevant ideas, such as durability leading to long-term cost savings and time efficiency in choosing outfits. However, the development of these ideas tends to be slightly limited and repetitive, which prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. For instance, the point regarding outfit choices is somewhat briefly extended. Overall, the prompt is adequately answered and a clear opinion is maintained throughout the response, fitting the Band 6 descriptors well.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct main ideas. Cohesive devices are employed to connect sentences, such as 'Firstly', 'Additionally', and 'In a nutshell'. However, some referencing and transitions are a bit mechanical or faulty, such as the dangling phrase 'As it complements the concept...' at the very end of the essay which connects awkwardly to the previous sentence. Logical progression is generally maintained, but minor cohesion issues place this response comfortably in the Band 6 category.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student attempts less common vocabulary, such as 'pragmatic', 'feasible', and 'durability' contextually, though there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text. Examples of errors include 'wheather' instead of 'whether', 'by' instead of 'buy', 'desinger' instead of 'designer', 'wardobe' instead of 'wardrobe', 'socities' instead of 'societies', 'acitivities' instead of 'activities', 'convinient' instead of 'convenient', and 'pragmactic' instead of 'pragmatic'. Despite these spelling errors which do not severely impede overall communication, the lexical range is adequate for the task, supporting a Band 5.5 or 6.0 score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. Examples include 'An item that might seems expensive in the first impression will definitely outlast a cheap item.' However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward agreements, such as 'clothes usually come with a great quality. Most of the well known expensive outlets... has proven' or 'is a feasible option' where a plural subject lacks agreement, and verb tense slips like 'might seems'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but grammatical inaccuracies occur frequently enough to impede complete accuracy, aligning well with the Band 5.5 or 6 descriptors.

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