Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-04

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)

The global fashion trends have an immense influence on the dressing sense of people due to various factors such as new variety of clothes and better fabrics. I think it is a positive development and would help people to stay with modern trends.

The idea of following the global fashion trends gained momentum in recent years due to social media and heavy marketing. In today's world almost everyone uses a mobile phone due to which it becomes easier for companies to introduce their products to people. Sometimes the big companies manipulate people into buying their products by using celebrities to advertise their clothes. By looking at the advertisement of famous personalities the customers are tricked into believing that the outfit is authentic and worth buying. For example, many children recently wanted to buy the crocs by being influenced by their friends and looking at videos on social platforms. Similarly, the youth desire to buy branded clothes and shoes by watching the international personalities.

The fashion industry is a huge market in current times offering different clothing types. The trends in this industry keep on changing and people are always keen to stay with the recent trends. Also, the people working in the fashion industry can stay with the latest trends by following the global influence. Most of the students in colleges prefer to wear their daily outfits based on the new styles. The outfit craze has an equal effect on people of all ages and sometimes people like to spend a huge chunk of money on their clothing.

In conclusion, I would say that the fashion influence on people is beneficial to stay connected to global fashion but the customers need to be aware of fake marketing moves by companies and avoid unnecessary buying of expensive clothes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the influence of global fashion and whether this is a positive or negative development. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. While you mention social media and marketing as drivers, the explanation of why this is 'positive' is limited to staying 'modern' and 'connected,' which lacks depth. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced arguments, such as the cultural exchange benefits or the economic impact of the fashion industry, rather than focusing primarily on the negative aspects of marketing and consumerism, which contradicts your stated position that the trend is positive.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. You use some cohesive devices such as 'In today's world,' 'For example,' and 'In conclusion' to link ideas. However, the progression between sentences is sometimes mechanical. For instance, the transition between the second and third paragraphs feels abrupt. Additionally, the use of referencing is occasionally repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'the people' or 'the trends.' Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between paragraphs would enhance the flow and coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'gained momentum,' 'manipulate,' and 'authentic.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of slightly unnatural collocations, such as 'stay with the recent trends' (better: 'keep up with current trends') and 'dressing sense of people' (better: 'personal style'). There is also some repetition of basic words like 'people' and 'clothes.' To improve, try to incorporate more precise synonyms and topic-specific collocations to convey your ideas with greater sophistication and variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies. For example, 'due to which it becomes easier' is slightly awkward, and 'the crocs' should not have a definite article in this context. There are also minor issues with article usage and prepositional phrases throughout the text. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and refining the use of complex sentence structures will help improve your accuracy.

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

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