Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-06
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Some people say that it is possible to tell a lot about a person’s culture and character from their choice of clothes.
Do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
People are assuming that person's choices of attire say lot of about their culture and character. I completely disagree with this statement as current era is more popular in the fashion world and it is hard to judge people from their cloth. This essay will discuss both the sides in the ensuing paragraphs.
To start with why clothes are not deciding persons culture and character. In this global world, people like to wear all the kinds of clothes. Moreover, they believe more in comfortness and fashion. For instance, Nigerian, Indian and African cultures some of the dresses are comfortable and easy to wear so, other people are also like to wear one.
Another reaosn is no ones character is decide by the piece of cloth. People's character is mainly known by their good values and heart. For example, still some rich people choose to wear simple clothes instead to show off their wealth and power.
However, some people still choose to wear their traditional clothes. For example, old people. They always like to connected with their roots and wear clothes which shows their cultural values and character.
In conclusion, although people like to wear some kind of clothes which shows their culture and character but, I disagree that clothes can decide individuals culture and character as in this trendy and fashion world, people are wearing every kind of cloths so, it is impossible to judge people with their attire.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt but fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. While you present a clear position, the arguments are somewhat underdeveloped. For instance, the point about 'rich people' choosing simple clothes is a good start, but it lacks sufficient elaboration to fully support your stance. Additionally, the essay structure is slightly contradictory; you mention you will discuss 'both sides' in the introduction, but your position is firmly against the statement, making the 'however' paragraph feel slightly disconnected from your main argument. To improve, ensure you expand on your examples and provide more depth to your reasoning to meet the length requirement.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate. For example, the transition 'To start with why clothes are not deciding persons culture' is grammatically awkward and lacks a smooth flow. While you use some linking words like 'Moreover' and 'However', the connections between sentences are sometimes weak. The concluding paragraph repeats the prompt's language rather than synthesizing the main points effectively. Improving the variety of transition signals and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus will help improve the overall flow and coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'good values', 'piece of cloth', and 'trendy'. There are also some word-choice errors, such as 'comfortness' (which should be 'comfort') and 'all the kinds of clothes' (which is unnatural). To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more sophisticated vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'socio-economic status', 'cultural identity', or 'superficial judgment'. Focusing on collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing will significantly enhance your lexical score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('no ones character is decide'), article usage ('in this global world'), and pluralization ('all the kinds of clothes'). While the meaning is generally understandable, these recurring errors prevent the writing from reaching a higher level of accuracy. You should focus on proofreading for basic errors such as verb forms and prepositions. Additionally, try to incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures, such as conditional sentences or relative clauses, while ensuring they are grammatically sound.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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