Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-14

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 many parts of the world, people should purchase far more clothes than they actually need. This trend is massively driven by fast fashion, social media, and aggressive marketing. However, there are several effective strategies that can encourage individuals to diminish their clothing consumption.

One major factor is the rapid turnover of fashion trends. Clothing companies frequently release new collections at affordable prices, prompting consumers to replace their existing wardrobe. Additionally, social media has intensified concerns about personal appearance. Influencers often showcase new outfits, leading some people to feel that wearing the same clothes repeatedly is boring and outdated. Moreover, frequent discounts and special offers can spur unnecessary purchases, as people believe that they are saving money, while buying them regularly may lead to excessive spending and significant waste.

Several factors can help address this issue. Initially, governments and schools could educate the public about the environmental impact of fast fashion. Consumers should be encouraged to buy fewer, higher-quality items that will last for years. Furthermore, clothing companies could also be incentivized to produce durable garments and lessen the number of collections they introduce. In addition, the population could be persuaded to repair, reuse and donate unwanted clothes instead of purchasing new pieces. For instance, a person might invest in a few well-made shirts rather than buying several cheap ones every season.

In conclusion, excessive clothing consumption is mainly caused by changing trends, social media influences, and attractive pricing. Whereas altering this habit may be challenging. Greater awareness, accountable shopping practices, and sustainable fashion can make a considerable difference.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for buying too many clothes and how people can be persuaded to reduce this consumption. The student presents a clear position and supports it with relevant ideas such as fast fashion, social media influence, and educational strategies. However, there is a minor contradiction in the introduction where the student wrote "people should purchase far more clothes than they actually need" instead of "people purchase," which slightly misstates the reality of the situation, though the rest of the essay clarifies the analytical stance. Ideas are sufficiently extended, meeting the requirements for Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized and shows a clear progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, beginning with the introduction, followed by reasons in the second paragraph, solutions in the third, and a brief conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as "Additionally," "Moreover," and "Furthermore." Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the causes from the solutions. However, the final conclusion contains a sentence fragment ("Whereas altering this habit may be challenging. Greater awareness...") which disrupts the flow of the concluding sentence, keeping the coherence score at Band 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary used is adequate and generally appropriate for the task. The student attempts some less common lexical items such as "rapid turnover," "environmental impact," and "sustainable fashion." Word choices are mostly clear, though there is an occasional slightly unnatural collocation or phrasing, such as "lessen the number of collections" instead of "reduce." Spelling is accurate throughout, and communication is never impeded. The range of vocabulary demonstrates flexibility that aligns well with the Band 7 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student uses a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating conditional-like structures and relative clauses (e.g., "items that will last for years," "a person might invest in a few well-made shirts rather than buying several cheap ones"). There are frequent error-free sentences, though grammar control wavers slightly at the end with a minor sentence fragment in the conclusion. Overall, punctuation is handled competently and errors are infrequent, supporting a Band 7 score.

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