Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-03

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

It is very common for people to change both their habits and their opinions as they get older.

Do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.0)

A majority of people are finding it a necessity to wear fashionable clothes. This is mainly caused by high influence of social media on our society. While staying updated with such trends might have some benefits, I believe that this is a highly negative development.

There are several reasons behind this ongoing trend. Social media stars and other famous personalities play a vital role in our lives these days. Continuous influence by such people have led to imitation of their lifestyle and clothing. Moreover, social standards are being set on the basis of appearance. People are now chosing high end fashion wear to maintain their class in society. Some individuals also believe that wearing fashionable clothes have helped to boost their confidence by enhancing their overall appearance.

Although following fashion might have some positive outcomes, this development is highly negative. Instead of saving and investing their hard earned money, people are wasting it on expensive clothing. Rather then improving inner selves, youngsters are more focused on outer beauty to settle in society. Constant comparison with others is resulting in lower self esteem and people are becoming dissatified with themselves.

In conclusion, this increasing importance of wearing trending clothes is mainly contributed by social media and social acceptance. Fashion can be a temporary aid for an individual to feel confident but I consider this as a negative development. People are judging the book by its cover instead of someone's actual personality.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.0

The response is off-topic. The prompt asks about changing habits and opinions as one gets older, but you wrote an essay about the influence of social media on fashion trends. Because you did not address the prompt at all, the task achievement score is significantly impacted. Additionally, the response is under the 250-word minimum, which further limits the development of your ideas. To improve, you must carefully read the prompt and ensure your arguments directly answer the specific question asked, rather than writing a pre-prepared essay on a different topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'Although', and 'In conclusion' to link your ideas. However, because the content does not relate to the prompt, the overall progression of ideas is irrelevant to the task. Within the context of the text provided, the paragraphing is appropriate and the flow between sentences is generally clear, which prevents a lower score for this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'imitation', 'dissatisfied', and 'temporary aid'. There are some minor errors, such as 'chosing' (choosing) and 'dissatified' (dissatisfied). While the vocabulary is sufficient to express your points clearly, it lacks the sophistication or precision required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring accurate spelling of common academic words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues: 'Continuous influence... have led' (should be 'has led') and 'wearing fashionable clothes have helped' (should be 'has helped'). You also have a spelling error in 'Rather then' (should be 'Rather than'). While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and basic conjunction usage.

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

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