Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

In recent years, global fashion trends has an impact on peoples dressing. While some people believe that this has a negative effect, I strongly believe it is a positive development as it can boost the economy. This essay will explain both views before giving my viewpoint.

One of the primary reason why global trends has influenced peoples dressing is the use of technologica. Because there has been a significant increase in the use of technology sites like internet and social media, people tend to copy dressing styles from other countries which can be attributed to watching celebrities. For instance, women from Malawi are copying the dressing style of Celline Dion because they watch her on Television. Therefore, technology and media has a great influence on dressing.

On the other hand, some people believe that adopting other countries dressing will dilute our culture resulting in loosing cultural identity. For example ,nowadays it is difficult to identify a Malawian by just looking at the dressing. a significant number of Malawians are not wearing the cultural dressing because it is regarded as old fashion. on the positive side, countries can generate a significant amount of revenue if they are importing the country dressing to other countries.

In my perspective, I believe there is a need to balance between the two. Despite copying from other countries we need to preserve our cultural dressing by setting aside days to wear it. Additionally, festivals should be organised to preserve our dressing

In conclusion, although copying dressing is important , there is a need to balance the two as copying will dilute our culture.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: technology and social media are presented as reasons global fashion spreads, and you discuss cultural loss alongside economic benefits. Your position, however, shifts. The introduction calls the development positive because it can boost the economy, while the conclusion and body emphasise balancing fashion with cultural preservation, so the reader is left unsure whether you consider it mainly positive or negative. Some ideas also need fuller explanation: the claim that importing clothing generates revenue is not clearly connected to how global fashion benefits countries, and the example of Malawians copying Celine Dion could be explained in more detail. State one clear overall judgement and develop each supporting point with a specific explanation or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate body paragraphs and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “For instance,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help signal examples and shifts in focus. However, progression is not always smooth: the second body paragraph moves from cultural identity to revenue without clearly connecting these ideas, and the introduction promises to explain “both views” although the essay’s main question asks how fashion became influential as well as whether this is positive or negative. The conclusion repeats the need for balance but does not resolve the position stated earlier. Make each paragraph serve a clear purpose and use transitions that show the relationship between its ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “global fashion trends,” “cultural identity,” “revenue,” and “preserve,” which allows you to discuss the main issues. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “a significant amount.” However, the range is limited by repeated use of “dressing” and “copying,” and several expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, including “technology sites,” “old fashion,” and “importing the country dressing.” Spelling and word-form errors such as “technologica,” “loosing,” and “Celline” also reduce precision. Build a wider set of accurate collocations for clothing, influence and cultural change, and check spelling and word forms during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional clause (“if they are importing…”) and a concession structure (“Despite copying from other countries…”). Most ideas remain understandable, but errors in agreement, articles, plurals and sentence boundaries occur across the response. For example, “global fashion trends has” should use a plural verb, while “One of the primary reason” needs a plural noun. The sentence beginning “Because there has been…” is a fragment, and “a significant number…” begins a new sentence with a lowercase letter. These issues make some relationships less clear. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and ensure every sentence has a complete main clause, while retaining your attempts at complex structures.

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