Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-12

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)

In the modern world, it is often seen that people purchase many more clothes than they actually need. This trend is mainly caused by the cheap prices of mass-produced clothing and the heavy influence of social media trends. However, encouraging individuals to reduce their shopping habits can be achieved by teaching them about financial savings.

To begin with, there are two main reasons why people buy an excessive amount of clothes. The primary cause is that clothing companies now produce apparel in massive quantities, which makes the items very cheap to buy. Because these clothes are so affordable, shoppers frequently purchase them in bulk simply because they are on sale, even if they do not need them. Furthermore, fashion trends change very quickly nowadays. Many people constantly follow the lifestyles of actors and social media influencers. Consequently, they buy new outfits every week just to look trendy online, leading to a lot of unnecessary shopping.

To address this issue, several steps can be taken to persuade people to buy fewer clothes. First of all, individuals need to be educated about financial management. If people learn how to budget their money properly, they will understand that spending money on disposable clothing ruins their long-term savings. For instance, instead of buying cheap clothes, they could save that money for future emergencies or investments. Additionally, governments can launch public campaigns to show how clothing waste hurts the environment. If shoppers realize that discarding old clothes creates massive landfills, they will think twice before making impulse purchases.

In conclusion, although cheap production and social media trends cause people to buy too many clothes, this problem can be solved. By educating the public about saving money and protecting nature, consumers can be successfully persuaded to change their habits and buy only what is necessary.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response fully addresses all parts of the task, both discussing the reasons for excessive clothing purchases (cheap mass-produced clothing and social media trends) and offering persuasive solutions (financial education and environmental campaigns). The position is clear throughout the essay. The ideas are well-developed and supported with relevant examples, such as saving money for future emergencies and the creation of massive landfills. This aligns well with the Band 7 or Band 8 descriptors for Task Achievement, as all parts of the prompt are thoroughly covered and extended with clear reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organised with a clear progression from introduction to body paragraphs and conclusion. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each body paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the prompt (reasons followed by solutions). Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'Additionally' are used effectively to guide the reader through the text, although referencing is occasionally a bit mechanical. Overall, the logical structure and clear flow fit comfortably within the Band 7 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with good flexibility and precision. Terms such as 'mass-produced clothing', 'impulse purchases', 'disposable clothing', and 'financial management' show a solid grasp of topic-specific lexico-grammatical items. While the vocabulary is generally natural and appropriate for an IELTS General Training task, it stops short of the wider, highly sophisticated range characteristic of Band 8. Occasional minor slips occur, but overall communication is smooth and clear, matching Band 7 expectations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response exhibits a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional clauses ('If people learn how to budget...') and relative clauses. There is good control of grammar and punctuation throughout the text, with frequent error-free sentences. Although a few minor structural limitations appear, the errors do not impede communication and are typical of a solid Band 7 performance where control over complex forms is generally maintained.

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