Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-25
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)
It is an undeniable fact that many aspects of the way people dress today are influenced by global fashion trends. I vehemently agree with the notion that it is a negative development.
It is an irrefutable fact that global fashion have become such a strong influence on people's lives because nowadays, many people are influenced by the new generation influencers, celebrities and social media platforms. These personalities regularly promote new clothes and fashion styles, which encourages their followers to copy them. Moreover, social media applications such as Instagram make it easy for people to see international fashion trends and adopt them in their daily lives. For example, young generation often purchase clothes after seeing their favourite influencers wearing them.
There are several reasons why this development can be considered negative. Firstly, global fashion trends can encourage people to purchase hefty amount of luxurious products unnecessarily. Fashion changes very quickly, so people may feel that their clothes are outdated and purchase new ones even when their existing clothes are still usable. Nowadays the newer generation have forgotten the roots of their traditional attire. As a result, traditional clothing may gradually become less popular.
The inexorable description on this subject may keep on going; nevertheless, observing the finer nuance and keeping a deep reverence for the fact, I would like to espouse my notion that global fashion have become such a strong influence on people's lives is completely a negative development because it encourage people to spend hefty amount of money unnecessary.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: explaining the influence of global fashion and providing an opinion on whether it is positive or negative. The position is clear from the introduction and maintained throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention social media and influencers, the explanation of why this is negative could be more deeply explored beyond just 'spending money' and 'forgetting traditions'. The conclusion is repetitive and adds little new insight. To reach a higher band, ensure that each body paragraph provides a more nuanced analysis rather than repeating the same points about financial cost.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Firstly', and 'As a result' to link sentences. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or forced, particularly in the final paragraph where the phrasing 'The inexorable description on this subject may keep on going' is unnatural and does not effectively bridge the conclusion to the previous points. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the flow between the final two paragraphs could be smoother to improve the overall coherence of the argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, including terms like 'irrefutable', 'luxurious', and 'espouse'. However, there are some issues with collocation and word choice. For example, 'hefty amount of luxurious products' is slightly awkward; 'excessive amounts of luxury goods' would be more natural. Additionally, the phrase 'inexorable description' is misused in this context. While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, the inaccuracies occasionally draw attention to the language rather than the content. Focusing on natural collocations will help improve your score in this area.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues: 'global fashion have become' (should be 'has become') and 'it encourage' (should be 'it encourages'). There is also a missing article in 'young generation' (should be 'the young generation'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, especially when referring to groups of people or general concepts.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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