Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-25

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)

Many people in some part the world purchases more dress than they need. Because clothes are very cheap in such areas, It doesn't cost a fortune to buy one, It makes people in such areas to abuse the privilege.

I strongly recommend to the government to set a committee in-charge of substandard clothes, and also raise tax fee for the government.This committee will make sure that all the import that arrives must be of a high standard. This will surely raise the cost of the clothes, that will reduce the people's purchasing power. That will make the people to purchase the clothes they need only at a time.

The government will make money from it too, since it has become an addiction for the society, Even if the tax fee are raised by fifty percent, the members of the public will still purchase it. By so doing the government will have enough money to bring basic needs of people, example Road and water and even human capital development.

Another thing i will suggest is banding used clothes, it makes clothes to be surplus to the market practically forcing people to buy more clothes. This apply the law of demand and supply, higher the qualities available the lower the price, which will make the society to purchase more clothes than they should, it will surely help to reduce purchasing strength of the people, and increase the standard of living of the society, in the sense that all their clothes will be of higher standards and it will be new too.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: you identify low prices as a reason for buying too many clothes and propose higher taxes and restrictions on used-clothing imports. The response also gives a clear general view that government action could reduce purchasing. However, the reasons are only briefly explained, and the proposed measures are not always convincingly connected to the problem. For example, raising taxes is presented as reducing people’s purchasing power, but you do not consider whether this would persuade consumers or simply make clothing less affordable. The suggestion to ban used clothes is also unclear and needs stronger justification. Develop each point with a specific explanation or example, and make sure the solutions directly encourage people to buy fewer clothes.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic paragraph structure, and the ideas are grouped into an opening, government measures, and a further suggestion. Linking expressions such as “Another thing” and “By so doing” help show some connections. However, the overall progression is not consistently clear: the opening identifies cheap clothes as the cause, but the following paragraphs move between taxation, government revenue, public services, and used clothing without clearly prioritising the argument. Some links are also difficult to follow, particularly the explanation that banning used clothes would reduce purchasing strength while increasing living standards. Use a clearer sequence—reasons first, then separate solutions—and make each paragraph develop one main point with explicit links between cause and effect.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “substandard clothes,” “purchasing power,” “law of demand and supply,” and “standard of living.” These choices show an attempt to discuss the issue beyond very basic terms. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or unclear, which sometimes makes the intended meaning difficult to understand. For instance, “dress” is used where “clothes” is needed, “tax fee” is not a natural expression, and “banding used clothes” appears to mean banning them. There are also spelling and form errors such as “in-charge” and “qualities” where the context calls for “quantity.” Build a more precise set of topic phrases and check that each word fits its intended meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including clauses with “because,” “since,” and “which,” but control is inconsistent. Errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries occur frequently and can make some ideas hard to follow. Examples include “people … purchases,” “This apply,” and “the tax fee are raised”; these subjects and verbs do not agree. The opening also begins “Because clothes are very cheap” as a fragment, while several sentences join independent ideas with commas, as in “It doesn't cost a fortune to buy one, It makes people…”. Practise checking each sentence for a complete clause, correct subject–verb agreement, and appropriate punctuation. More accurate control of these patterns would make your argument much easier to read.

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.