Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-11

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 7.0)

In contemporary times, there has been a growing trend of buying far too many clothes. While some people has a habit of impulsive shopping, others do it out of social pressure. This essay will explain how people can be convinced to reduce the number of clothes they buy by providing them financial education and normalizing purchasing fewer clothes.

People nowadays, prefer to purchase too many clothes, as it gives them a variety to wear new clothes everyday without repeating old outfits. These people are influenced by the lifestyles of actors who wear new and expensive clothes at every event. As a result, they try to imitate these celebrities to uphold their status in society. However, some people purchase too many clothes out of their ingrained habit of impulsive buying, while others, sometimes do it to destress and unwind. To illustrate, whenever I am stressed, I go for shopping with my mother. This therapy has really helped me to relieve my stress and relax my mind.

In my opinion, educating people about reasonable spending and financial mangement can play a vital role in persuading people to reduce the number of clothes they purchase. For this purpose, I think budgeting campaigns should be run by the government so as to create awareness among people regarding responsible spending. Moreover, influencers can play a very important role in normalizing buying fewer clothes and repeating old ones. For instance, when the public will watch social media influencers repeating outfits on events, they will realize that there is no shame in wearing old clothes and it is totally fine to have few good clothes.

In conclusion, people buy far too many clothes to uphold their social status or as a result of their inherent habit. However, it is important that people should be educated on how to spend reasonably and responsibly on shopping clothes. For this purpose, the government and social media influencers can play an invaluable part.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response addresses both questions and maintains a clear position: it identifies social imitation, impulsive shopping and stress relief as reasons, then proposes financial education and influencer-led changes in attitudes. The celebrity example and the personal shopping example help make the causes concrete, while the suggestions about budgeting campaigns and repeating outfits are relevant. This fits a response that covers the task and supports its main ideas. To strengthen the development further, explain more explicitly how budgeting education would change purchasing decisions, and extend the point about social pressure beyond influencers—for example, by describing how advertising or clothing brands could promote re-wearing. Some claims, such as shopping as stress relief, would also benefit from a clearer link to buying excessive quantities.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear four-paragraph structure, moving from an introduction to causes, solutions and a conclusion. The progression within the body paragraphs is generally logical, and signposting such as “To illustrate,” “Moreover” and “For instance” helps readers follow the examples and proposals. The conclusion returns to the main causes and solutions without introducing a new argument. Cohesion is effective overall, though some linking is slightly mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “For this purpose” and “Moreover.” The opening also promises to explain solutions, while the causes are developed in the next paragraph; a more direct thesis that previews both parts would make the progression even clearer. Use pronouns and transitions selectively so that connections feel natural rather than formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate and includes some topic-specific and less common expressions, such as “social pressure,” “impulsive buying,” “uphold their status” and “normalizing.” These choices communicate the main ideas clearly, and the writer shows some flexibility in discussing both motives and solutions. However, several collocations or word forms are imprecise: “financial mangement” is misspelled, “destress” is less natural in this context, and “on events” does not fit the intended meaning. “Inherent habit” is also an awkward combination. These slips do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Aim to learn vocabulary in common combinations and check spelling and word forms during revision; this would make the range already present sound more controlled and idiomatic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex structures, including subordinate clauses with “while,” “as” and “whenever,” and conditional phrasing such as “when the public will watch.” Most sentences remain understandable, and the paragraphing and sentence boundaries are generally controlled. Some grammatical errors persist, however: “some people has” should be “some people have,” and commas interrupt the subject and verb in “People nowadays, prefer” and “others, sometimes do it.” The future form in “when the public will watch” is not appropriate for this time clause; use “when the public watches.” There is also an article/number issue in “have few good clothes,” where “a few” is needed. Review agreement, punctuation and time clauses to improve accuracy while retaining the range of sentence forms.

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