Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-31

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 contemporary society, global fashion trends have come to influence the way people dress. With the growing amount of time spent on social media and online platforms, individuals' shopping choices are increasingly shaped by digital content. From my perspective, this is a largely negative development. This essay will examine how people are influenced by these trends and present my own opinion.

There are several reasons why people are influenced by global fashion.Firstly, people imitate what celebrities and influencers wear. When people watch on TV or other platforms, they want to wear these clothes. As a result, people buy this type of clothes and wear them. Secondly, people are influenced sometimes by watching online ads. Social media influences people most of the time. Young people spend most of their time on social media. Some business owners target them and run ads to sell their products. Finally, people have to purchase clothes online.

However, it has a lot of disadvantages. This is because people buy their desired clothes without thinking carefully. Some business owners sell poor-quality products, which are not suitable for people. After buying these dresses, people find that they have a lot of issues such as size, cotton, and low-priced materials. Therefore, people lose both money and time. In addition, when people choose trending clothes, they do not understand the quality. Especially, teenagers want more trendy clothes. Sometimes they spend huge amounts on these dresses. To be honest, valuable branded clothes are ignored by them, which are better than trending clothes.

In conclusion, although people purchase their clothes in many ways due to influence, it has a lot of drawbacks. Therefore, I firmly believe that it is a largely negative development. People should avoid being influenced.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear view that global fashion is largely negative and address both how it spreads and its effects. The examples of celebrities, influencers, online advertising and young people’s social-media use are relevant. However, the explanation of how fashion became a strong influence is mostly a list: “people imitate” influencers and “people are influenced” by ads, but the mechanisms and their reach are not explored. The negative effects—poor quality, wasted money and teenagers’ spending—are also asserted rather than supported with a specific example or fuller explanation. The point about “valuable branded clothes” is unclear and does not convincingly support the argument. Develop fewer ideas in more detail and make the link between global trends and people’s choices explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph on causes, a paragraph on disadvantages and a conclusion. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” “Finally,” and “In addition” help readers follow the main points. However, progression within the body paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and several sentences repeat the same idea—for example, that social media influences people and that young people spend much time on it. The link between “people have to purchase clothes online” and the preceding points is not explained. Some references are also vague, such as “it” in “However, it has a lot of disadvantages.” Group related points, use clearer links between cause and effect, and make references more precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “global fashion trends,” “influencers,” “online ads,” “poor-quality products,” and “trendy clothes.” However, the range is limited and several words or phrases are repeated, particularly “people,” “clothes,” “influenced,” and “trending.” Some combinations are imprecise or unnatural, such as “this type of clothes,” “issues such as size, cotton,” and “valuable branded clothes.” These choices make parts of the argument less clear, especially when describing product quality. Aim for more precise terms and natural collocations, such as “garments,” “fabric quality,” and “fashion-conscious teenagers,” while avoiding repetition through careful paraphrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use mostly straightforward sentence patterns and attempt some complex forms, including “When people watch …, they want to wear these clothes” and “Some business owners sell poor-quality products, which are not suitable for people.” Meaning is generally understandable, but errors and awkward constructions recur. For example, “people are influenced sometimes by watching online ads” has an awkward adverb position, and “After buying these dresses, people find that they have a lot of issues” leaves the reference of “they” unclear. The opening also needs punctuation after “fashion” in “global fashion.Firstly.” Use a wider mix of accurately controlled sentence forms, check punctuation and word order, and ensure pronouns clearly refer to the intended noun.

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