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)

There are multiple sorts of people around the world. Some people like to buy too many clothes while others get satisfy in having minimum clothes in their closet. I would like to give reasons why people prefer to buy too many clothes.

In my perspective, there are variours reasons that explain why people prefer to buy too many clothes. For example, they want to look good, it gives them confidence, self belief, and thought clearance. Moreover, people buy too many clothes because they can afford it. They have clothes for every occasion and for every acitivity of the day: multiple set of night wears, jogging track suits, office related suits, and casual dresses for home. So, this would make their wardrobe full collectively.

I personally believe that clothes depict the personality of a person to some extent. People prefer to showcase their personality by having variety of clothes. On contrary, there are people who have limited collection of clothes in their closet.

I strongly express my appreciation for those people who keep themselves in balance. People can reduce the number of clothes they buy just by choosing right colours and combinations. A decent and mature fashion can be adopted by selecting colours like black, grey, blue, and white. People can help poor by giving them old clothes or unsed one's to clear their own wardrobe.

In this expensive era, I recommend to have limited clothes and spend extra money on donations to help the needy people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both questions: you suggest that people buy clothes to improve their appearance and confidence, and because they can afford a wide range for different activities; you also recommend choosing versatile colours and donating unwanted items. However, the reasons are only briefly explained, and the solutions are not developed enough to show clearly how people could be persuaded—for example, you could explain how donations or buying fewer, mix-and-match items would change purchasing habits. Your position is present, especially in the final recommendation, but it is not consistently framed as an answer to the task. The response is also four words below the required minimum, so it does not meet the task’s length requirement. Develop each main point with a specific explanation or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable paragraph structure: it introduces the topic, gives reasons, then turns to ways of reducing purchases and ends with a recommendation. Linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “On contrary,” and “In this expensive era” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is uneven: the paragraph beginning “I personally believe” repeats the point about personality and limited wardrobes rather than advancing the explanation, and the connection between donating clothes and persuading people to buy fewer is not made explicit. Some transitions feel formulaic, and references such as “this” in “So, this would make their wardrobe full” are not fully precise. Group the reasons and solutions more clearly, and use linking phrases to show the logic between each claim.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “confidence,” “personality,” “wardrobe,” “variety,” and “donations,” and the examples of clothing for different occasions help convey your meaning. However, the range is limited and several inaccurate or unnatural choices make parts of the response less clear, such as “thought clearance,” “get satisfy,” and “showcase their personality.” There are also spelling errors, including “variours,” “acitivity,” and “unsed,” alongside awkward phrases such as “multiple set of night wears.” These issues fit a response where vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the basic ideas but control is inconsistent. Learn common collocations for clothing and consumer habits, and check spelling and word forms during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple sentences and some attempts at more complex structures, such as “People buy too many clothes because they can afford it” and the sentence introducing clothes for different activities. Meaning is generally understandable, but grammatical control is inconsistent. Examples include “Some people like to buy too many clothes while others get satisfy,” where the verb form is incorrect, and “People can help poor,” which needs an article before “poor.” In “People prefer to showcase their personality by having variety of clothes,” the noun phrase also needs an article. The response relies heavily on straightforward sentence patterns, and the longer list sentence is not smoothly controlled. Practise accurate verb forms, articles, and varied complex sentences, then proofread each sentence for agreement and completeness.

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

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