Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-05

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 way people dress today is mainly effected by the influence they receive from global fashion trends. In my perspective it is surely a negative development to get dressed under anyone's influence. Other then, dress codes for offices, professional or traditional gatherings.

With the rapid growth of technology, social media took over our lives and everyone like to stay connected as much as possible. Many social media platforms and content creators are influencing big population all over the world. Be it cooking or dressing, everyone likes to follow content creators to become famous. People like to go after what they watch online. Doom scrolling is another major cause of individuals inclination towards social media influencers.

The luxuries shown on social media is creating blind trust on individuals and they perceive they can be famous like content creators by following these trends regardless of the fact that most of the fancy thing shown are landed. This sometime result in financial burden and people face critical circumstances. In addition there is a huge risk of loosing your own tradition and identity by blind fold following.

However, following fashion trends for official wear or traditional wear, under controlled circumstances has no harm. Since some countries fashion trends are so relatable and on point. Keeping your tradition, culture and budget in mind there is no harm in going after fashion trends as far as it will not hurt your identity and culture.

In conclusion, following global fashion trends blindly in not appreciated. One should keep their selves intact with their identity before following any trend.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the influence of global fashion and the evaluation of this trend. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention social media and technology, the explanation of why this influence is negative remains a bit superficial. For instance, the point about 'financial burden' is a good start but lacks specific examples or deeper analysis. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are fully extended with concrete evidence or logical consequences. Your position is clear throughout, but the depth of discussion needs to be more consistent to fully satisfy the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a central theme. There is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Other then, dress codes' or 'Be it cooking or dressing'. Additionally, some transitions between sentences feel abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing (e.g., 'these trends') is always precise will help the flow of your writing feel more natural and sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'inclination', 'circumstances', and 'intact'. However, there are several instances of inaccurate word choice and collocation, such as 'effected' instead of 'affected', 'big population' instead of 'large population', and 'landed' which seems to be a misuse of the intended word. These errors occasionally distract the reader. To improve, focus on learning the correct collocations for common academic phrases and proofreading for word-form errors, as these small slips prevent the vocabulary from being considered more precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('everyone like to stay', 'luxuries shown... is creating') and punctuation errors. The phrase 'blind fold following' is also grammatically incorrect. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to lower the score. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with correct punctuation and clause structure.

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

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