Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-08

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)

many people believe that one's attire can reveal some information about their culture and personality. I am not fully agree with this statement as it is true that individuals clothing can tell little bit about their culture but there are always other unknown factors which decides person's character.

To begin with, culture has lot of influence on individual's life especially when it comes to selection of clothes. Each culture has its own dressing sense and colors. For instance, in India, in northern part people prefer to wear vibrant colors such as orange and blue whereas in southern part people mostly seen wearing light colored clothes. Surely, culture and dress has relation to some extent.

However, character is a complex psychological trait which cannot be defined by someone's choice. Character depends on too many small factors such as upbringing and surroundings. For example, politicians like to wear formal clothing but there is always uncertainity about their persona.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 156 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas. While the essay addresses the prompt by providing a position and some supporting examples, the arguments are underdeveloped. The discussion on culture is brief, and the section on character lacks depth, failing to fully explore the complexities requested by the task. To improve, you must expand your arguments with more detailed explanations and additional examples to reach the required length and provide a more comprehensive analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat limited and repetitive. For example, the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs is functional but basic. The logical flow is present, but the lack of length prevents a more sophisticated development of ideas. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and phrases to connect sentences and ideas more fluidly, ensuring that the transition between paragraphs is smoother and more cohesive.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'I am not fully agree' (should be 'I do not fully agree') and 'dressing sense' (which is a common collocation error in this context). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic terms. To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and idiomatic expressions, and ensure that your word choices are contextually appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow. Examples include 'one's attire can reveal some information about their culture' (pronoun agreement error), 'it is true that individuals clothing' (missing possessive apostrophe), and 'there are always other unknown factors which decides' (subject-verb agreement error). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar and punctuation prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and possessive forms.

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

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