Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-24

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)

People nowadays bought so many clothes like in different countries. I think that individual person has a interest in having a different set of clothes where they can be fashionable when going outside and also express their creativity.

One main reason that people tend to do this kind of behavior is to be on the trend of fashion. They would buy different types of clothes for every type of season like summer, winter, spring, and fall. For example at my country The Philippines, many people gather or buy on boutiques so they can have a really afforable clothes rather than buying branded clothes so in order to have affordable clothes they spend time to buy in different shops of boutiques.

Another main reason is the creativity of individuals where they buy bundles of clothes and making it a new style of clothes rather than plain old clothing they create a masterpiece that they can show off to people. It is great thing to do where you can be more open and give new ideas to people on how to be more creative in a certain way of expressing your emotions to fashion.

However, making people to limit themselves on buying so that they can prioritize what is much more efficient and needed the most rather than buying clothes but buying the basic needs. For example food, and rent is much more reasonable to be bought and paid rather than buying new clothes even though you have a great amount of usable clothes. So people can save more money and invest to their future rather than impulsive buying of clothes.

In conclusion, some of them are positive effects on buying clothes while some of it has negative effects. In other words most likely it is a great aspect of being a trendy person by catching up what is the best fashion in this season or event and being more creative on their clothes of choice.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions by giving reasons for buying many clothes—following fashion and expressing creativity—and suggesting that people prioritise essentials and save money. The Philippines example adds some relevant context. However, the reasons are not always clearly connected to buying too many clothes: seasonal clothing and creating new styles are described, but their role in excessive purchasing is not fully explained. The solution is also limited to personal budgeting and prioritising food or rent; it would be stronger with a further practical measure, such as buying second-hand or reducing exposure to fashion advertising. The conclusion mainly repeats the positive aspects of fashion and creativity, so it does not clearly reinforce how people could reduce their purchases.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for two reasons, a paragraph on reducing purchases, and a conclusion. This helps the reader follow the main topics. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the Philippines example moves from affordable clothes to spending time in different boutiques without clearly showing how this leads to excessive buying. Linking phrases such as “Another main reason” and “However” are used, but some connections feel mechanical or do not accurately signal the relationship between ideas. The conclusion also shifts back to the benefits of fashion rather than drawing together the causes and solution. Make each paragraph develop one clear point, and use references and transitions that show how each example supports it.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “fashion,” “season,” “creative,” “basic needs,” and “impulsive buying.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “branded clothes” and “a great amount of usable clothes.” However, the range is limited and several phrases are awkward or imprecise, which sometimes makes the meaning less clear. For example, “on the trend of fashion,” “buy on boutiques,” and “a masterpiece” do not express the intended ideas naturally in this context. Spelling errors such as “afforable” also reduce accuracy. Build a wider set of natural collocations for shopping habits and solutions, and check word forms and spelling when editing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentences, including explanations with “where” and examples introduced by “For example.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors in sentence structure, verb forms, articles, and agreement occur often enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. For instance, “People nowadays bought” uses an unsuitable tense, while “individual person has a interest” has article and number problems. The sentence beginning “However, making people to limit themselves” is not formed as a complete, clear construction, and “food, and rent is” has an agreement error. Practise building accurate subject–verb–object sentences first, then add subordinate clauses. Careful proofreading for tense, articles, and singular/plural agreement would improve clarity.

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