Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-18

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 6.5)

Many individuals believe that they can assume a lot about a person by analysing their taste in clothes. I totally agree with this view point as sometimes it gets really easy to identify a person's culture, language, as well as their thinking style upon watching how they are dressed.

To start with, living in Canada gives me knowledge of various cultures and how to deal with them. While working in sales, most of the time I scan the front person's outfit from top to bottom before approaching him/her in order to understand their suitability with the product. This gives me more confidence and a clearer picture of how to pitch them, and on top of that I also get an idea where to connect a person's culture with my sales. While doing so, their dressing sense really helps me to assume their cultural side.

On top of that, I've encountered many instances where I was able to help a random person who was not able to communicate freely because of language barrier. For example, I met a lady last weekend at the mall who was lost from her family and was not able to explain the security in charge her situation. Upon looking at her outfit, I quickly got an idea of her culture. So, I started looking for any person with similar dressing so that I could help her out. Surprisingly, the second person I requested to help that lady was her elder son, whom she was visiting. Finally, her problem was solved, and they both thanked me.

So, I really believe that one can tell a lot about an individual's culture and character from their taste and preference in clothing.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt clearly and maintains a consistent position throughout. You have provided relevant personal examples, such as your experience in sales and the incident at the mall, to support your argument. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you successfully link clothing to culture, the connection to 'character' is less explicitly explored. To reach a higher band, ensure that both aspects of the prompt—culture and character—are equally developed. The ideas are relevant, but the essay would benefit from a more analytical approach rather than relying solely on anecdotal evidence to support the claim.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'To start with,' 'On top of that,' and 'Finally' to guide the reader through your arguments. However, some of the transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. The paragraphing is appropriate, and there is a clear progression of ideas. To improve, try to vary your linking words and ensure that the relationship between sentences is more fluid. The referencing is generally clear, though some sentences could be more tightly connected to improve the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'language barrier' and 'dressing sense.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on simpler phrasing. To achieve a higher score, you should aim to incorporate more sophisticated or less common lexical items and improve your collocation usage. For instance, phrases like 'scan the front person's outfit' could be replaced with more natural academic alternatives. The errors in word choice are minor and do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'was not able to explain the security in charge her situation' and 'was lost from her family.' These errors do not significantly impede communication, but they do occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on sentence construction and preposition usage. Ensure that your complex sentences are error-free, as the current frequency of minor errors suggests a need for more careful proofreading and practice with advanced grammatical structures.

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

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