Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-04

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 7.0)

Nowadays, global fashion trends have influenced the way people dress. The creation of social media platforms has also impacted the way people act, behave, think and, especially, the way they dress.

Firstly, celebrities and influencers endorse certain clothing brands or create styling reels, which attract their followers. As a result, individuals start buying branded clothes to look cool, different and fashionable, and some may also see them as a status symbol. For instance, Zara is one of the global fast-fashion retailers that sells shirts, trousers and jackets. These clothes are worn by people from different countries, whether they are from Pakistan or America. Therefore, social media and international brands have given people greater access to similar fashion trends across the world. A person living in Pakistan can now easily discover and purchase a style that is also popular in another country.

I believe that this development has both positive and negative effects. On the positive side, people can find a wide range of T-shirts, trousers and other modern clothes near them and choose what they feel comfortable wearing. They also have more freedom to experiment with their appearance and express their personalities through clothing. However, the deeper impact of global fashion might reduce the value of cultural and local fashion. For instance, Pakistani people might feel more confident wearing shirts and jeans because they are influenced by international trends, while they might hesitate to wear traditional clothes such as shalwar kameez. Moreover, international fashion trends can negatively affect local clothing brands because consumers may prefer well-known global brands.

Overall, global fashion provides people with greater choice, but it may also weaken traditional clothing and local fashion industries.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by explaining both why global fashion has become influential and evaluating whether this is positive or negative. A clear position is maintained throughout the essay. The ideas presented are generally relevant and extended, such as discussing social media influence, fast-fashion retailers like Zara, and the socio-cultural impacts on traditional attire like the shalwar kameez. However, some ideas show a slight tendency to over-generalise or remain partially under-developed, particularly in the opening body paragraph where the connection between styling reels and status symbols could be pushed further. To reach the highest bands, every main idea needs to be fully extended and supported with deep, nuanced analysis without leaning into broad generalisations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

There is a clear logical organisation and progression throughout the essay. The response begins with an introduction outlining the trend, moves into reasons for its growth in the body paragraphs, weighs the positive and negative effects appropriately, and concludes with a summary statement. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'As a result', 'For instance', 'Therefore', and 'On the positive side' are used purposefully to guide the reader through the arguments, though referencing and transitions could sometimes be handled with even greater flexibility. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each major theme segregated into its own logical block. To achieve an even higher band, cohesion must become completely seamless and unobtrusive.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating less common lexical items such as 'endorse', 'status symbol', 'fast-fashion retailers', and 'experiment with their appearance'. Word choice is generally appropriate and allows the message to be communicated clearly, satisfying the requirements of this level. However, there are occasional minor inaccuracies in collocation and style, and the vocabulary repertoire does not yet reach the level of wide flexibility and precision seen in top-tier bands. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, meaning communication is never impeded. To improve further, the student should incorporate a wider variety of sophisticated, less common idiomatic or academic collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The essay displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, featuring subordinate clauses and participial phrases such as 'which attract their followers' and 'whether they are from Pakistan or America'. There is good control of grammar and punctuation overall, with frequent error-free sentences constructed throughout the response. While a few minor errors persist, they are infrequent and do not impede communication or obscure the meaning. The student demonstrates a solid handle on verb tenses, articles, and prepositions within standard patterns. To move to the next band, the writer needs to exhibit a wider range of complex structures consistently used with complete accuracy and a higher proportion of error-free sentences.

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