Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-27
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)
Nowadays it is commonly seen that in many aspects the way people dress are influenced by global fashion trends. I think the main reason for this trend is the advancement of technology specially social networking platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Consequently, global fashion are influencing people's lives strongly as people want to look like their idol they see on social media and want to copy them. Although following global trend can be beneficial as people can upgrade their style and fashion sense according to the current trend, in my opinion this is a negative development because everyone has their own style and preferences but due to the current trend of following each other people may lose their own style and unique identity.
It is a common trend these days specially for the young generation to follow global fashion. They often influenced by the styling of their favorite celebrity and wish to look like them. This is to say, most people believe that if they do not follow the trend they may look outdated to others. For this reason, many people try to copy the famous person and try to follow the trend. I think one of the main reasons global fashion has such a strong influence on people is the social media and Instagram. Through social media and Instagram people can easily how the famous people styling, what are they wearing and even what is most trendy which certainly influence their fashion sense. For example, my sister often buy clothes or
shoes influence by the social media.
I believe this change is mainly negative because it affects people's personality and their own style. Every one has their own style that suits them but if everyone started to follow the same pattern that unique personality will lose. Another reason is that it can make other people feel less confident. That is because due to the current trend many people consider those people outdated who do not follow the trends.
In conclusion, although following global trend can have some positive sides it can have negative affects too. Therefore, I believe that this development is negative because it every nation have their own culture and tradition and people look best when they follow their own way of styling.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the influence of global fashion and the evaluation of whether this is positive or negative. The position is clear throughout, and the main ideas—social media influence and the loss of individual identity—are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the mention of social media and Instagram is repeated across paragraphs without adding new depth. To reach a higher band, you should aim to extend your arguments with more varied examples or deeper analysis of the societal implications, rather than restating the same points.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised 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 repetitive. Phrases like 'For this reason' and 'I think' are used frequently, and there is a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect sentences more fluidly. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the sentence 'people can easily how the famous people styling', which lacks a verb and disrupts the flow of the argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on common terms like 'trend', 'style', and 'influence' repeatedly. There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'people can easily how the famous people styling' (should be 'see how famous people style themselves') and 'my sister often buy clothes... influence by the social media' (should be 'influenced by'). To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to consumerism, identity, and digital culture to demonstrate a wider range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Subject-verb agreement is a recurring issue, such as 'the way people dress are influenced' (should be 'is influenced') and 'global fashion are influencing' (should be 'is influencing'). There are also missing words, such as 'people can easily [see] how', and awkward phrasing like 'every nation have their own culture'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they occur frequently enough to limit the score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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