Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-09

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)

Today, in the era of ever changing fashion, the global fashion trends also influence the dressing style of the people. People now, chase the patterens and trends of fashion in the world and try to follow them.

In my view, the global fashion has become such a strong influence on people`s lives due to the digitalization of the world and excessive use of internet and social media in almost all the parts of the world. Now a days, the people use social media and search on interet about modern fashion trends of the world and then try to adopt these trends as much as they can and try to dress themselves according to the global fashion trends.

I think, this is a negative development because the people try to follow these trends to an extreme extent which sometimes ran them out of their budgets. Also people, sometimes, buy the unnecessary stuff and things which they actually do not need at all. This is not a very good practice at all. This also effects the middle class and lower middle class communities.

But to some extent this is also a positive development because people feel connected to the world after following the global trends and, sometimes, also give them peace of mind.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both questions: you identify social media and internet access as reasons for fashion’s influence, and you give a mainly negative view while acknowledging a benefit. However, the response is under the required 250 words, which limits how fully you can develop the ideas. The explanation of online influence is repeated rather than extended, and the claims about overspending and buying unnecessary items would benefit from a specific example or clearer explanation of their effects. Your position is present, but the final positive point (“feel connected” and “peace of mind”) is brief and not reconciled with your overall negative judgement. Develop each part with supporting detail and make your overall position consistent.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic, understandable sequence: it introduces the topic, explains a cause, presents disadvantages, and then mentions a benefit. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages. However, progression is limited because the second paragraph repeats the idea of following global trends, and the final paragraph introduces a contrasting view without explaining how it fits your main position. Linking is also somewhat mechanical, relying on “Also,” “But,” and repeated uses of “and.” Organise the body around distinct points—for example, online exposure and consumer spending—and use clearer transitions to show whether a point supports or qualifies your opinion. This would make the argument easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “global fashion trends,” “social media,” “budgets,” and “middle class.” However, the range is limited, with repeated wording such as “trends,” “people,” and “try to follow.” Several spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, including “patterens,” “interet,” and “effects” where the intended verb is “affects.” Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “ran them out of their budgets” and “the dressing style of the people.” Aim for more precise collocations and vary your vocabulary when discussing influence, consumption, and affordability. This will make the argument clearer and more natural.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more extended sentence forms, and the main meaning is generally understandable. For example, the sentence beginning “I think, this is a negative development because…” gives a reason, while “This also effects…” adds a related consequence. However, control is uneven: “People now, chase…” has incorrect comma placement, and “the global fashion has become…” uses an unnecessary article. The final sentence has a faulty structure: “people feel connected … and, sometimes, also give them peace of mind” does not clearly identify who receives peace of mind. There are also inconsistent forms such as “Now a days” and “the people use.” Check sentence boundaries, articles, and subject–verb relationships, and proofread punctuation.

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