Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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 many parts of the world, people spend alot of money on clothes and buy clothes for every little ocassion.

I believe the reason for buying so many clothes are several. Firstly, it is the new trends in the fashion industry constantly which really makes people go for the lastest fashion and trendy clothes and sometimes people get influnece by their favourite celebrites or singers like K pop. Recently, all of teenagers have changed their style immensly and have started to dress like korean singers as they were inspired by them. Moreover, some people especially women believe that they need to have a new dress for every festive.

Buying too many clothes for no reason creates an tension in my mind and build complexicity issue in the society as well. I think people should be guided and educated properly on how to spend their money and they should not waste their money on unnecesarry clothes. Instead there are several other things on which the money can be spent like stock and property which can benefit in the long term. I believe, every company should have a session with the employees to guide them on how to use their money for both men and women so that they do not spend their salary on unnecesarry clothes.

I myself use to buy alot of clothes, however one day when i had spent all of my salary on clothes and needed money for an emergency, at that point i did not have a penny and had to get a loan just to pay for the emergency. That day i releasiled that i have bought clothes which are not of any use.If had a gold, stock or property or solid money available then i would not have to take a loan and experience the stress that i faced that day.

Since that day, i have been careful with my money management. Everyone should be mindful on how,where and what the spend the money. Buying alot clothes is necesarry and the money should be spend carefully.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the question: fashion trends and celebrity influence are offered as reasons, while financial education is proposed as a way to reduce unnecessary purchases. The personal account of needing a loan gives a relevant example and makes your view clear. However, the response only partially develops the task. The reasons focus mainly on trends, and the solutions are largely about managing money rather than directly persuading people to buy fewer clothes; the suggestion that companies hold employee sessions also needs explanation. Develop a wider range of causes and explain how specific measures—such as promoting clothing reuse or raising awareness of fast fashion’s effects—could change buying habits.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with separate paragraphs for causes, proposed action, and personal experience. Sequencing words such as “Firstly” and “Moreover” help signal the list of reasons, and the personal example supports the discussion. However, progression is uneven: the paragraph about financial guidance is followed by a long personal story that repeats the same point about spending and emergencies. Some links are mechanical, and the final paragraph introduces a conclusion without clearly summarising the causes and solutions. Use each paragraph for one distinct purpose, connect the personal example explicitly to your proposed solution, and finish with a concise summary of your answer.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “fashion industry,” “trendy clothes,” “celebrities,” and “money management,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several words or phrases are repeated, especially “clothes,” “money,” and “spend.” There are also noticeable spelling errors, such as “ocassion,” “influence,” “celebrites,” and “unnecessary,” as well as awkward choices like “complexicity issue” and “solid money.” These reduce precision and can make parts of the response harder to follow. Build a more varied vocabulary for consumer habits and fashion, and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including a complex sentence beginning “when I had spent all of my salary on clothes.” However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to affect clarity. For example, “the reason … are several” has subject–verb disagreement, while “Buying too many clothes … creates an tension … and build” contains errors in the article and verb agreement. Other examples include “If had a gold …” and “Everyone should be mindful on how,where and what the spend.” Work on agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction. Proofread punctuation and spacing as well, particularly around commas and sentence boundaries.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.