Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-09

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 6.0)

It is generally suggested that one can buy a few branded clothes rather than a number of low quality clothes. I totally disagree with the above notion because everybody is free to choose their attire according to their financial and social status. I will explain it further in this essay.

To begin with, It is always a people's choice what to wear. In other words, every individual buys their clothes according to their buying capacity. For example, in the majority of African countries people tend to buy cheap clothes because their per capita income is very low. Secondly, for many individuals expensive clothing is not a priority as they are spending most of their income to buy food. In contrast, those who are living in first world countries are inclined to buy branded clothes since they can afford them. Thus, buying clothes totally depends upon one's financial capacity.

On the other hand, I personally think that one should spend on clothing when they can afford it. Otherwise one should focus on things like health and education of their family. It means that branded attire should never be a priority for anyone. One can buy whatever they want but they should never compromise their healthy eating and comfortable living. I personally observed that people with huge bank balances are wearing cheap clothes as they know it is not worth it to show branded clothes all the time. I am not suggesting that one should not buy expensive clothes or not. I am just making my point to prioritize your things according to your needs.

To conclude, one can buy expensive or cheaper clothes according to their need. However, one should focus on their health and education first in order to upgrade their family living rather than thinking about attire.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you disagree with the idea that people should buy a few expensive clothes, and you argue that clothing choices depend on affordability and priorities. The examples about lower incomes and people choosing to spend on food, health, and education are relevant. However, the response partly shifts from whether a few expensive items are better than many cheaper ones to whether people can afford branded clothing at all. The point about wealthy people wearing cheap clothes is useful, but it needs explanation of how this supports your comparison. Develop the central argument more directly—for example, by comparing durability and cost over time with the flexibility of buying cheaper items—and extend each main reason with a specific example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall arrangement, with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The progression from affordability to personal priorities is understandable, and signposts such as “To begin with,” “Secondly,” and “To conclude” help the reader follow the discussion. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some stronger control through paragraphing and a logical sequence. However, the linking can feel mechanical, and “On the other hand” suggests a contrast that is not fully established: the second body paragraph largely continues your argument about prioritising spending. The conclusion also repeats the main point rather than drawing the comparison together. Use more precise links between claims and examples, and make each paragraph’s relationship to your position explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “financial capacity,” “per capita income,” “priority,” and “compromise,” which helps express ideas about spending and clothing. Some less common expressions are attempted, but several choices are imprecise or unnatural, such as “buying capacity,” “first world countries,” and “upgrade their family living.” Repetition of “clothes,” “buy,” and “branded” also limits flexibility. These issues do not prevent the reader from understanding your argument, but more accurate collocations and a wider range of terms would make it more precise. Consider using “purchasing power,” “high-income countries,” and “improve their family’s standard of living,” and vary “clothes” with “garments” or “items of clothing” where appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses in “because everybody is free to choose” and “as they know it is not worth it.” Most sentences communicate your meaning, and the errors rarely obstruct understanding. Some grammatical problems remain, however. “It is always a people's choice” has an incorrect possessive construction; “every individual buys their clothes” shifts awkwardly between singular and plural; and “I am not suggesting that one should not buy expensive clothes or not” is structurally unclear. Capitalisation after “To begin with” and spacing around punctuation also need attention. Practise accurate possessives and pronoun agreement, and revise sentences with repeated negatives so that the intended meaning is clear.

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