Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-24

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)

fashion has become an increasingly powerful influence on people's lives .Many individuals pay considerable attention to the clothes they wear and the latest trend. the influence can be attributed to social media , peer pressure and desire of self expression . i believe that it is negative development as it significantly affect on individual's life financially and mentally .

One major reason fashion from world has become so influential is rapid growth of social media . People nowadays highly dependent on social media platforms such as facebook and instagram . It allows people to explore new styles and different types of global brands . As a result , people think that they need to keep up with the trend in order to fit in society . That create unnecessary pressure on individual's mind to maintain the image in to society and leads to spend more money on trends .

In conclusion , fashion trend has highly negative impact on people's life financially and mentally to maintain social image . it can be modified by wisely spending more money on fashion and invest in daily needs . Although following fashion trends can have some benefits people should maintain balance on their choices .

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you address both parts of the prompt—explaining the influence of fashion and providing a position—the development is superficial. The arguments regarding social media and financial pressure are relevant but lack depth and specific examples. To improve, you must expand your points with detailed explanations or real-world illustrations to reach the required length and demonstrate a more thorough exploration of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into three short paragraphs, which is a basic structure. However, the progression of ideas is limited by the brevity of the text. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'As a result' and 'In conclusion', but they are somewhat mechanical. The referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. To achieve a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph develops a single, clear central theme with supporting evidence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'pay considerable attention' and 'rapid growth' are functional, but there is a lack of less common or sophisticated lexical items. There are also some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'leads to spend more money' (should be 'leads to spending'). To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary related to sociology, consumerism, and economic impact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include missing articles (e.g., 'in to society'), subject-verb agreement errors (e.g., 'fashion trend has'), and punctuation mistakes, such as spaces before commas and periods. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. Focus on proofreading for basic grammar rules, particularly article usage and verb forms, to improve accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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