Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-14

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Many aspects of the way people dress today are influenced by global fashion trends.

How has global fashion become such a strong influence on people's lives? Do you think this is a positive or negative development?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The world has become a global village now. How an individual style today is heavily influenced by the global fashion trends. In this essay we will see how and why a person is made to follow the world's fashion styles intentionally or unintentionally.

Now a days social media has influenced every individual of every age. People tends to follow every trend so that they don't feel left behind. In the race of these trends people do whatever the media tells them to do, irrespective of their personal likes or dislikes.

People think in-order to keep up with the world they should also do what others are doing. The media shows models as perfect human beings in terms of fashion and style and being worthy of praise, so the people try to be like them and style like them.

I think that is a negative development because not every fashion and style is appropriate for every person. I believe that a person should wear what he likes ,his liking should be his, not influenced by some global trends. In order to follow the trends people force themselves to wear what they are not comfortable in. They try to set themselves in those so-called beauty standards that are not good for them and this effect their mental health and their confidence while moving in public. Also people start judging those who don't follow these trends and call them outdated.

In the conclusion I would say that we should follow trends that suits our body, our culture and our religion. We should not follow them blindly and they should not be kept above our own comfort and choice.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the influence of global fashion and the writer's opinion on whether this is positive or negative. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While the essay mentions social media and the pressure to conform, the arguments could be more deeply explored with more specific examples or nuanced analysis. The response stays relevant to the topic, but the explanation of 'how' global fashion influences lives remains a bit superficial, relying on general statements rather than detailed reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a basic progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. Transitions between sentences are often abrupt, and there is a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect ideas more fluidly. For instance, the transition between the influence of media and the negative impact on mental health could be smoother. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could benefit from more varied cohesive markers.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks range and precision. The writer uses common, everyday language (e.g., 'perfect human beings', 'good for them', 'do whatever the media tells them'). There are few attempts to use less common or more sophisticated lexical items. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety and occasional awkward phrasing (e.g., 'style like them') limits the score. To improve, the student should incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to fashion, consumer behavior, and societal influence.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that, while not impeding communication, are noticeable. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('People tends to follow', 'this effect their mental health') and punctuation errors (e.g., 'likes ,his'). The use of articles and prepositions is also inconsistent. While the writer attempts complex structures, the control over these is not consistent, and the frequency of errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band score.

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