Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-13

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)

In this contemporary era, people like eye catching things such as expensive and good looking clothes. The reason behind this might be self obession or due to professional causes.

To commence with, nowadays, people are obessed with themselves and wants to look better than others. To elaborate on it, some people have passion of wearing new clothes on every different occasion so they prefer wearing new attire. For example, celebrities wear different clothes bescuse they have to look pretty and charming than anyone else. Therefore, these might be some reasons concerned with this issue.

To cope up with this, government should imply taxes so that people buy less clothes. To explain it, if people keep on buying new clothes then there will a lot of clutter for the old clothes. People should give donations if they want to buy new clothes. Celebrities should not be bullied for repeating their clothes more than once. Hence, if government intervene in this act, there might be some change.

To recapitulate, people have different reasons for buying clothes but they should not overspend money on these silly acts.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You address both questions: you suggest self-image and professional demands as reasons, and propose taxes, donations, and less criticism of celebrities who repeat outfits. However, the response only partially develops these points. The explanation that people want to “look better than others” is relevant, but the celebrity example does not explain how this leads ordinary consumers to buy too many clothes. The proposed tax is also not explained in terms of how it would work or why it would change buying habits. The conclusion calls the behaviour “silly” rather than summarising a clear, supported position. The response is 184 words, below the required 250, which limits the space available to explain and support the ideas. Develop each main point with a reason and a specific example or consequence.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on reasons, a paragraph on solutions, and a conclusion. This makes the main stages of the answer easy to identify. You also use signposting such as “To commence with,” “To cope up with,” and “To recapitulate.” However, some links feel mechanical, and “Therefore, these might be some reasons concerned with this issue” repeats the preceding point rather than advancing it. The relationship between the tax proposal and the discussion of clutter is not made explicit, so the solution paragraph moves between ideas without a clear chain of reasoning. Use fewer formulaic transitions and connect each example directly to the point it supports; clearer referencing would also help readers follow how the ideas relate.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-relevant vocabulary, including “attire,” “clutter,” “donations,” and “overspend,” and the meaning is generally understandable. There is also an attempt to use more formal expressions such as “In this contemporary era.” However, the range is limited, and several choices or spellings are inaccurate or unnatural, including “self obession,” “obessed,” “imply taxes,” and “professional causes.” These errors make parts of the response less precise, even when the intended meaning can be inferred. Aim for accurate collocations and a wider set of terms for consumer behaviour and clothing waste—for example, “buying habits,” “social pressure,” and “textile waste.” Proofread spelling and choose direct, natural phrasing rather than formal-sounding expressions that do not fit the context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple sentences and some attempts at complex structures, such as “if people keep on buying new clothes then there will a lot of clutter for the old clothes.” The overall meaning is usually recoverable, and the response includes a range of sentence openings. However, there are some errors in agreement, articles, and sentence construction. For example, “people … wants” should use a plural verb, and “there will a lot of clutter” needs “be.” In “if government intervene,” the article and verb form need correction. The sentence beginning “The reason behind this might be…” is also awkwardly constructed. Check subject–verb agreement and ensure conditional clauses have complete, correctly formed main clauses. More accurate control of these patterns would make your ideas clearer.

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