Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-28
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 this modern era, it is good choice to purchase costly clothes instead of cheap quality clothes.I totally agree with this aformentioned notion due to certain reasons which will disuss in the upcoming paragraphs.
The first and foremost reason is that help to decrease the litter or garbage from the environment. These days, people doing unecessary shopping like clothes or electronic devices. They get influece to see the cheap price of products and like to buy them instantly instead of thinking they actually need that thing or not. As a result, litter or garbage increase quickly which dirtectly effects our enviroment . The second reason is that buying expensive clothes help to keep things long lasting and good quality products. Branded clothes are more costly and nice fabric or quality when people wear they can see the difference in it. For instance, buying non-brands products those have cheap quality or cheaper, that are easily torn and fade which directly leads to use and throw culture in the society. Beacause that's product not refund or returnable like branded clothes.
Adding more to it, when people wear expensive clothes. It helps not only enhance their beauty but also show their status to others. Expensive clothes look always differ and rich in colour. For example, spending money on four to five cheapest clothes buy one branded clothes which help to wear long run.
Although, there are lot of benefits to buy expensive clothes but there are some darksides of that development as well.I can say that it is out of pocket of common man. Mostly people have some financial issues and they can not afford it. Sometimes cheaper clothes also good for short time when we are not deciding to use long run.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by taking a clear position that buying expensive clothes is preferable to cheap alternatives. The student supports this position with relevant ideas, such as environmental impact through reducing litter and the longevity of better quality items. However, the development of these ideas is sometimes limited and over-generalized, for example when discussing status or the economic constraints on average people. While the main arguments are identifiable, the explanations lack deep extension and specific supporting details beyond basic generalizations. Therefore, the response aligns best with Band 6.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay displays an overall coherent arrangement with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, showing a basic attempt at paragraphing. However, cohesion is often faulty and mechanical. Cohesive devices are used awkwardly or repetitively, such as "Adding more to it" and "Although, there are lot of benefits... but..." which reflects inaccurate punctuation and linking. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the logical progression between sentences occasionally breaks down due to abrupt shifts in ideas. This performance reflects the characteristics of Band 5.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as "aforementioned notion", "unnecessary shopping", and "long lasting". However, there are numerous word choice and spelling errors, such as "dirtectly effects", "enviroment", "Beacause", and "darksides", alongside awkward phrasing like "out of pocket of common man". These inaccuracies and frequent spelling slips mean that while communication is not severely impeded, the errors are noticeable and prevent the writing from reaching a higher band level, placing it solidly in Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety in structure. However, frequent grammatical errors occur throughout the text, including missing auxiliary verbs, incorrect relative clauses ("products those have cheap quality"), fragments ("The first and foremost reason is that help to decrease..."), and punctuation errors. These frequent errors occasionally cause difficulty for the reader and mean that error-free sentences are not in the majority. This level of accuracy and control corresponds to a Band 5 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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