Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In some parts of the world, people buy far too many clothes.

What are the reasons for this?
How can people be persuaded to reduce the number of clothes they buy?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Individuals buy a higher number of clothes than they need due to changes in fashion and new trends seen on social media and discounts. Although this behaviour provides a sense of having all the trendy garments, it can be reduced by educating them about the negative impact on their financial situation.

The most prominent reason people often get influenced to buy new clothes is rapid changes in fashion. They want to look good and keep on purchasing new articles specifically trending on social media such as Instagram or TikTok. For Instance, whenever they see their favourite social media personality wearing new styles, they try to order the same styles so that they can also look like their favourite stars. Another significant reason is discounted prices offered by various big retailers like Amazon and Walmart, where individuals end up buying clothes which they often do not need or that they would not wear anytime soon. As a result, they end up spending a lot of money on branded clothes.

Although everyone deserves to buy whatever they like to wear, they should be careful and educated about the opportunity cost involved in buying unnecessary garments, which could be used to invest in a person's overall well-being. To illustrate, a high amount spent on branded items could be wisely spent on a gym membership. Hence, it would be more beneficial instead of buying clothes without a particular reason.

To conclude, while people buy more clothes than they actually need to look like their social media influencers, they should be educated to spend money on much more important things like the gym rather than chasing fashion and end up wasting money.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for excessive clothing consumption and potential solutions. The ideas are relevant, such as the influence of social media and the role of discounts. However, the development is somewhat limited. While the reasons are clearly explained, the solutions section is less robust. The suggestion to educate people about opportunity costs is a good starting point, but it lacks depth in terms of how this persuasion would actually be implemented on a broader scale. The position is clear throughout, but the essay would benefit from more detailed examples or a more nuanced exploration of the solutions to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, which helps the reader follow the argument. Cohesive devices such as 'For instance', 'Another significant reason', and 'To illustrate' are used effectively to link ideas. However, the transition between the reasons and the solutions could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is generally logical, though the final conclusion is slightly repetitive in its phrasing, which slightly impacts the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task, with terms like 'opportunity cost', 'branded items', and 'social media personality' used correctly. There is a sufficient range of vocabulary to convey the intended meaning with some precision. However, the range is not particularly wide or sophisticated. Some phrases are slightly repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'buy' and 'clothes'. To improve, the student should aim to incorporate more varied synonyms and collocations related to consumer behavior and fashion trends to demonstrate a higher level of lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are clear and easy to follow, and the grammatical errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. For example, the use of conditional structures and relative clauses is generally accurate. However, there are minor slips, such as 'end up wasting money' in the conclusion, which lacks parallel structure with the preceding clause. While the control of grammar is good, the range of complex structures is somewhat limited, preventing the response from reaching the higher bands where more sophisticated, error-free complex sentences are expected.

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