Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-17

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)

People who live in some regions of the world purchase so much clothing. One of the major reasons is that shopping makes individuals happy. Also, some people want to wear the latest trends and fashions. So, they buy new garments every season. The governments should persuade their citizens to reduce the usage of clothes by stating environmental factors and child labour.

Many people go shopping as a habit to make them feel happy and to escape from their busy lives. Especially, women love to purchase new clothes. As an example, clothing shops mainly target women and they keep women’s clothing in front of their stores. Additionally, teenagers and the younger generation prefer to buy trending styles or designer clothes. So they buy clothes occasionally. For instance, in North America, China, South Korea and Japan people buy new designer clothes every season and donate used clothes.

This practice has a negative side. Therefore, the governments or authorities should be able to persuade their community by explaining the environmental harm that occurs from high garment production. For example, gas released by garment manufacturing factories badly affects the environment. Further, some factories are using child labour to produce clothing at a low price. Thus, the authorities should make people aware of these incidents. For instance, child labour is more popular in Bangladesh.

In conclusion, in some countries people purchase too many garments because it makes them happy and some of them like to follow the latest styles and trends. This practice badly affects the environment and children in some parts of the world. Hence, relevant authorities should persuade people to reduce the amount of clothes they buy.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the reasons why people buy excessive amounts of clothes (such as emotional happiness and fashion trends) and solutions for reducing this behavior (through environmental awareness and highlighting child labor). The ideas are generally relevant and supported with examples, such as referencing North America, China, and Bangladesh. However, some points are somewhat brief and could be extended further for a higher band. For instance, the explanation of how to persuade people remains a bit generalized. Despite this, the position is clear throughout, and the task requirements are adequately met, corresponding well to the Band 6 or 7 descriptors. Overall, it is a solid attempt that covers the main components of the prompt effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear overall arrangement with four distinct paragraphs corresponding to an introduction, body paragraphs for reasons and solutions, and a conclusion. Information and ideas are logically sequenced. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'Also', 'Additionally', and 'Thus', though some links feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'For example' and 'For instance'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct themes, moving smoothly from reasons to solutions. Referencing is generally clear, allowing the reader to follow the progression of arguments without confusion, fitting the criteria for a solid Band 6.5 or Band 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task. Words and phrases such as 'latest trends and fashions', 'environmental factors', 'garment manufacturing factories', and 'child labour' show a good attempt to use topic-specific terminology. There are some minor limitations and occasional slight inaccuracies in collocation or word choice, such as 'child labour is more popular in Bangladesh' (where 'prevalent' or 'widespread' would be more appropriate). However, the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey the message clearly, and spelling is generally accurate throughout, comfortably placing this response in the Band 6 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over basic structures and attempting more intricate constructions such as 'One of the major reasons is that shopping makes individuals happy.' There are occasional errors in grammar and punctuation, such as 'The governments should persuade' (dropping the definite article is more natural here) and 'some people want to wear the latest trends and fashions. So, they buy...' where sentence boundary punctuation could be improved. Nevertheless, these errors rarely impede communication, and the majority of simple sentences are accurate. This performance aligns well with the requirements for Band 6.0.

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

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