Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-21

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)

Many aspects of how people dress today are influenced by global fashion trends. Which I believe is a negative development. These are manipulative tactics played by highly popular global fashion brands like Gucci, Prada and Balenciaga targeting to influencing young generation to buy their expensive clothes, jackets and shoes. Therefore, it is contaminating younger mindsets.

One major negative development is these fashion trends making people more focused on what they wear. Which is benefits for these popular brands but influencing people in negative way. For example, One of my friend had judgemental remarks against other people because he could afford wearing things from those high brands. therefore, It might create the difference among on another and create a sense of pride in those who could afford and also impact others confident of not to be enough. They became less social and caught a social anxiety. Thus, It is these highly advertised trends that creating a toxic environment among young generation.

Other negative development is creating fashion trends that make no sense. These brands have fashion shows which include high paid fashion models wearing a brand while cat walking. Now younger adults watching home or online might get influenced and want that exact same brand they saw. Which can cost them so much money. For example, My sister saw Paris fashion show online, Where model are advertising different brands and she got attracted towards a top tank a model was wearing. This simple top tank cost $4000. Therefore, they engage and influenced younger generation a way that if they are not buying it means they are missing out.

To conclude, I believe this a toxic, manipulative tactics these brands played to make people attracted towards their trends and brands. Therefore, It creates a gap in society and those who can afford become more harsh towards those who cannot afford these brands.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying the influence of global fashion and taking a clear negative stance. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. While you mention the influence of brands like Gucci and Prada, the arguments regarding 'toxic environments' and 'social anxiety' are asserted rather than fully explored with nuanced reasoning. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph introduces a distinct, well-supported point rather than restating the same general criticism of consumerism. The conclusion is brief and summarizes your position well, but the overall analysis remains somewhat superficial.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, starting sentences with 'Which I believe...' or 'Which is benefits...' creates sentence fragments that disrupt the flow. Additionally, the transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt. While you use some linking words like 'Therefore' and 'Thus', they are used repetitively and sometimes incorrectly. Improving the variety of your cohesive devices and ensuring that sentences are complete and logically connected would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary to discuss the topic, using terms like 'manipulative tactics,' 'contaminating,' and 'judgemental remarks.' However, there are frequent errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'Which is benefits' instead of 'which is beneficial' and 'impact others confident' instead of 'impact others' confidence.' Some phrasing is also slightly unnatural, such as 'cat walking' instead of 'catwalk' or 'modelling.' To improve, focus on using words in their correct grammatical form and expanding your range of topic-specific collocations to express your ideas with greater precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures, and there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'these fashion trends making' instead of 'make'), incorrect verb tenses, and the use of sentence fragments. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the misuse of full stops to separate dependent clauses from the main sentence. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevents the text from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence combining and proofreading for basic errors would be highly beneficial.

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