Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-20

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)

It is often argued among individuals that buying minimal expensive clothes is better than a plenty of cheaper clothes. The way i can see it I entirely agree with this statement. There are loads of reasons behind this such as quality, life shell, brand image.

First and foremost, the quality of expensive clothes justifies their higher price tag. For instance, Pull & BEAR is the most popular and costly clothing brand world-wide because the life span of their clothes are very prolong. In recent years, modern consumers have become more conscious of brand image as a status symbol and premium quality. Additionally, consumers heavily invest in expensive clothes to ensure status symbol and longer life span of the product.

Another significant point to consider is that, in modern era trend is rapidly shifting towards luxury clothing. There are very few brands that keep up with the latest trends. Individuals heavily invest in these brands because they want to keep up pace with changing fashion trends. Furthermore, Some consumers really believe that investing in expensive clothes worth their money and to ensure that long term durability and quality. The mean reason behind investing in expensive clothes is these reasons i mentioned and consumers feel traumatised to invest in cheaper clothes because they are low quality products and they do not keep themselves with the changing fashion trends.

To conclude, I strongly agree with the statement because in recent or upcoming years consumers highly focus on new fashion trends or high brand image.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you state that you “entirely agree” and repeat this view in the conclusion. You also give relevant reasons, particularly quality, durability and fashion, and the Pull & Bear example attempts to support your point. However, the response only partly develops these ideas. The claim that this brand is “the most popular and costly” is not explained or substantiated, and several points about status, quality and changing trends repeat one another rather than adding distinct support. The discussion also focuses heavily on brand image and fashion, with less explanation of why buying fewer, more expensive items is a better choice overall. Develop each reason with a specific example or consequence, such as cost over time or reduced waste.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Linking phrases such as “First and foremost,” “Additionally” and “To conclude” help signal the stages of the argument. However, progression within the body paragraphs is uneven, and several ideas are repeated rather than developed in a clear sequence. For example, the second body paragraph moves from changing trends to durability, then back to consumers’ concerns about cheaper clothes. The long final sentence in that paragraph combines several claims, making the relationships between them difficult to follow. Organise each paragraph around one main reason, explain it, and then give a focused example. Use referencing and transitions to show how each point connects, rather than relying mainly on formulaic signposts.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “price tag,” “status symbol,” “premium quality” and “durability,” and you attempt less common expressions such as “life span.” However, the range is limited by repeated use of “expensive clothes,” “consumers” and “invest,” while several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear. “Life shell” appears to be an incorrect expression, “very prolong” is not the appropriate form, and “keep up pace” is not idiomatic. “Traumatised” also overstates the likely reaction to buying cheaper clothes. These choices sometimes make the intended meaning harder to understand. Build a more precise range for discussing value and clothing, and check collocations and word forms when using less familiar vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a reason clause in “because they are low quality products” and a longer sentence beginning “The mean reason behind investing…”. However, control is inconsistent, and errors in agreement, articles, sentence construction and punctuation sometimes make the argument difficult to follow. For example, “the life span of their clothes are” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “investing in expensive clothes worth their money” lacks a correctly formed verb structure. The final sentence of the second body paragraph is also overloaded and difficult to parse. Capitalisation is inconsistent, as in “i” and “Furthermore, Some.” Practise accurate sentence patterns for explaining reasons and results, and divide long sentences into clearer units.

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