Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-21

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)

Some people believe that buying a few expensive or branded clothes is better instead of lots of cheaper clothes. In my opinion, buying a few expensive clothes is better, although there are exceptions for some people.

The first reason for buying expensive clothes is good quality and long term value.There are numerous small shops available which sell cheaper clothes. The quality of clothes is not worth buying but people buy it because of their low prices. So, the poor quality lasts only for some days. This not only increases waste but also effects families's income. Consequently, people can buy a few branded clothes and use them for years.

Secondly, it is easy to manage few clothes rather than a lot of clothes. For example, with small wardrobe of good clothes , people can mix and match clothes in minutes for their house parties, weddings and work. This can save time and energy. If people start to buy few expensive clothes, this can significantly reduce the consumerism and overspending of money.

However, some people are not able to afford branded clothes due to their financial problems. They have their basic needs to priortise such as food , shelter and health. Thus, these people can buy cheaper clothes which can be the best choice for them.

To conclude, although expensive clothes serve many benefits such as high quality, long term value and less wastage, people who have less income can buy cheaper clothes according to their need.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction: you agree that buying a few expensive clothes is generally better, while recognising that cheaper clothing may suit people with limited finances. You give relevant reasons—durability, reduced waste, easier outfit choices and less overspending—and the affordability paragraph addresses an important exception. This covers the task well, but the support is uneven: the wardrobe example is specific, whereas claims about cheap clothes lasting only a few days and branded clothes lasting for years are broad and would benefit from explanation or a concrete example. The response is also five words below the required minimum. To strengthen the response further, develop the less-supported claims and make the comparison between the two choices more explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, two paragraphs supporting your view, a paragraph acknowledging an exception, and a conclusion that restates your position. The progression from quality and value to convenience, then affordability, is easy to follow. Linking expressions such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” “However,” and “To conclude” help signal this structure, and examples are placed alongside the relevant points. Some connections are a little mechanical, and the first body paragraph moves quickly from low prices to poor quality, waste and family income without fully showing how each point follows. Improve cohesion by linking these consequences more explicitly and varying transitions where appropriate. Also check spacing around punctuation, as in “value.There” and “clothes , people,” to make the presentation smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “long term value,” “consumerism,” “overspending,” “financial problems,” and “prioritise.” These choices communicate your main ideas, and the meaning remains clear throughout. However, some wording is imprecise or repetitive: “expensive or branded clothes” treats these as interchangeable, while “small shops” does not clearly describe the low-cost clothing being discussed. There are also word-form and spelling slips, including “effects” where the verb should be “affects,” “families's,” and “priortise.” Aim for more precise collocations and proofread spelling and word forms. For example, describe the clothes as “low-cost” and explain their durability rather than relying on general labels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including concession and cause-and-effect structures: “although there are exceptions,” “If people start to buy…,” and “Thus, these people can buy…” This gives the response some variety, and errors rarely prevent understanding. Some grammatical inaccuracies remain. In “it is easy to manage few clothes,” the plural noun needs a determiner; “with small wardrobe” also needs an article. The phrase “people can buy it” does not agree with the plural “clothes,” and “families's income” has an incorrect possessive form. Punctuation and spacing are inconsistent, particularly around commas and sentence boundaries. Review articles, pronoun agreement and possessives, then proofread each sentence for punctuation.

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