Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-07

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 5.5)

Nowadays, In this modernization world people love to style new clothes.Some individuals they believe buying new clothes for every event and occasion is compulsory for some people like women they can buy clothes from online after watching other influencers on instagram and facebook a lot of people think after buying clothes they feel happy but on the other side people thinks it is a waste of money to buy new clothes every month or for every event.

Firstly, People thinks specially women sometimes they follow other women in their life. Majority who buy clothes they are women because people believe women take more interest in buying new clothes for every event and occasion. Some women think buying new clothes makes their mood happy. So whenever they got salary or their husbands got salary they prefer to go to clothes shop.For example, A lot of individuals like women and even men they daily use social media apps for entertainment and whenever the add comes infront of their eyes they cannot control their selves so some individuals believe they waste their money like this.

Secondly, Some of the individuals thinks that people only waste their money on clothes buying extra cloth is not good. A lot of people think that showing off is the biggest problem in this world nowadays a lot of people get insecure from others and they try to look like them. In a lot of countries every country has their on style some people like eastern western both and they love to style their self. By seeing each other people shop a lot of useless clothes. For example a person is buying useless clothes only to showoff and new style this is the waste of by saving that money people can go on vacations they can buy something useful because nowadays clothes are much expensive and almost everyone like to wear branded clothes.

In conclusion, some people think y buying lots of clothes makes them happy and on the other side people think its a wastage of money peope think we should not watch others what they are wearing the biggest problem is by seeing other people take ineterst in these things and it is not good thing for individuals lifestyle nowadays.

AI examiner evaluation

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

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for excessive clothing consumption and potential solutions. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. For instance, the discussion on social media influence is mentioned in both the first and second paragraphs without adding new insights. The solutions part is underdeveloped, as the essay focuses more on the problem than on actionable ways to persuade people to change their habits. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific, well-reasoned arguments and ensure that the solutions are clearly articulated and distinct from the reasons provided.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is often hindered by repetitive phrasing and a lack of sophisticated cohesive devices. While transition words like 'Firstly' and 'Secondly' are used, the internal flow within paragraphs is often choppy. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the phrase 'some people like eastern western both', which lacks a clear connection to the preceding sentence. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one will significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There is a heavy reliance on basic terms like 'clothes', 'people', and 'buy', which are repeated frequently. Some word choices are imprecise, such as 'modernization world' instead of 'modern world' and 'add' instead of 'advertisement'. There are also minor errors in collocation, such as 'take interest in these things'. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to consumerism, fashion, and sustainability, and focus on using synonyms to avoid repetitive language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'People thinks', 'some people like... and they love'), article usage, and punctuation errors. Sentence boundaries are sometimes unclear, leading to run-on sentences. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic grammatical accuracy, particularly subject-verb agreement and proper sentence construction, will be essential for your progress.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.