Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-19
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)
In light of technological developments, many spheres of people's lives, such as education, commerce, and social media, are changing rapidly, like the way people dress these days. Nowadays, global fashion has become such a strong influence on people's lives. I think it is a favourable development.
At the beginning, fashion is necessary knowledge when travelling to other countries. Each country has a special culture and beliefs; respecting differences is an essential skill for anyone. Following fashion allows visitors to know the lastest update on their clothes and dresses, showing you as a respectful and polite tourist. For example, travelling to Japan with enough information about their fashion, such as Kimono and how this society dresses, makes the journey more exciting and wonderful.
In addition, professional life requires basic knowledge about fashion. Going to the workplace in elegant dresses leads to communicating better with partners and gaining respect from the community around you. Personality is improved by knowing this simple information. For instance, as a secretary in a business company, experiencing different styles of dress enhances your job performance.
In conclusion, global fashion becomes such a strong influence on people's lives, which is extremely positive. Encouraging the public to increase their knowledge about fashion is a necessary issue.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying reasons for the influence of global fashion and expressing a clear positive stance. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement at 207 words. This leads to under-developed ideas; for instance, the argument regarding travel and the Kimono is somewhat tangential to 'global fashion trends,' and the professional life example lacks depth. To reach higher bands, you must expand your arguments with more detailed explanations and specific examples to meet the length requirement and provide a more thorough exploration of the topic.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'In addition' and 'In conclusion' to link your points. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between the introduction and the first body paragraph is abrupt. To improve, try to use a wider range of cohesive devices and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that directly relates to the prompt, rather than relying on simple transitions.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You use some repetitive phrasing, such as 'knowledge about fashion' and 'influence on people's lives.' There are also minor collocation issues, such as 'lastest update on their clothes' and 'business company,' which sounds unnatural. To improve, focus on using more sophisticated synonyms and collocations related to the fashion industry and social influence, and ensure you use words in their correct context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'In light of technological developments, many spheres... are changing rapidly.' While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'At the beginning' (which is not the correct way to start an argument) and 'global fashion becomes' (which should be 'has become'). Punctuation is generally accurate, but the sentence variety is limited. To achieve a higher score, incorporate more complex grammatical structures, such as conditional sentences or passive voice, while ensuring greater accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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