Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-31
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)
Several individuals are greatly swayed by international fashion trends. It has become a sturdy influence on people lives.
Numerous people at this world are effected by global fashion trends. It has impressed millions of people specially youths. It is a substantial thing for affluent people to follow this trend. It has become a source of joy for rich individuals. They initiate comparing themselves to international icons. They become famous overnight to follow such trends.
International fashion trends has greatly effected common individuals as social media is flooded by such people. Individuals who barely afford food also follows such trend which is a hazardous thing. There are some people who fight with their parents in order to follow this cycle of global fashion icon.
I personally believe that such trends are good for rich people and worst for the poor. It has few positive impact. In contrast, it is full of negative development as due to this countless youths are suffering from depression and anxiety. On the other hand, it has become a fashion for rich people to follow such a trend in order to earn fame.
My cousin went to United States of America. He went to a vast shopping mall, saw a great dress of a famous personality. He chose the dress went to the counter to ask for the price of that magnificent dress. After hearing the price, he put down that dress and became stress, he could not afford that dress. He immediately came out from that shop with a sad face. It affected him severely.
In a nutshell, global fashion trends are great for rich people and worst for the poor. It may affect the poor mentally and it has a negative development for those who could not afford such stuff.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying the influence of social media and global trends while expressing a clear opinion on the negative impacts. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. The argument relies heavily on generalizations about 'rich' and 'poor' individuals rather than exploring the broader societal or psychological mechanisms. The example provided about the cousin is anecdotal and lacks a strong connection to the broader argument about global fashion trends. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced analysis of why these trends are influential, perhaps discussing the role of digital marketing or the psychological desire for social belonging, rather than focusing solely on financial affordability.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is often disjointed. The transition between the introduction, the body paragraphs, and the conclusion is mechanical. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often repetitive or misused, such as the frequent use of 'on the other hand' or 'in a nutshell' without a clear logical shift. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the second paragraph where 'it' is used repeatedly without a clear antecedent. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the flow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There are several instances of incorrect word choice or collocation, such as 'sturdy influence' (instead of 'strong' or 'significant'), 'effected' (should be 'affected'), and 'worst for the poor' (should be 'worse'). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic adjectives like 'good', 'bad', and 'famous'. To improve, you should focus on using more sophisticated collocations and academic vocabulary related to consumerism and social influence, while ensuring that words are used in their correct grammatical form.
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. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'trends has greatly effected'), incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'follows such trend'), and missing articles. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are errors in sentence construction, such as 'He chose the dress went to the counter', which lacks a conjunction or punctuation. While the meaning is usually understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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