Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-25
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)
Clothing is an essential part of our everyday lives. Some people believe that it is possible to say alot about person's culture and character from the way they wear clothes. I completely agree with this statement as clothes can serve more purpose than just covering our body.
To commence with, the types of clothing someone wears tells about their culutral background. Every culture has different dress code that signifies their traditions and beliefs. For Example, in India, women wear sarees, kurta, salwar kammez while men wear kurta, dhoti, suit in some occasions. In contrast, in western countries people wear skirts, elegant gowns and suits. Therefore, by their clothes we can identify about their culture background, from which we can understand about their values and beliefs.
Furthermore, a persons clothes can also indicate their character traits. The way someone dress can show about their level of confidence, professionalism and creativity. For instance, someone who wear ironed formal cloths indicates that the person is professional and elegant. On other hand, one who wears bright, colourful clothes indicate that they have creative personality. Therefore, cloths serve as non verbal way of communication that showes someones personality traits and that way we can judge from their clothes.
In conclusion, I believe that we can say alot about the person by their clothes. Clothing can reveal someone's personality traits, beliefs, their background and their character. So, wear a clothes keeping in mind that it will showcase who are we.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position and providing supporting arguments regarding culture and character. However, the essay falls short of the 250-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the development of ideas. While the points about cultural dress and personality traits are relevant, they are somewhat brief and could have been expanded with more depth or nuanced examples to fully satisfy the requirements of a Band 7. The conclusion is also quite abrupt. Because the length requirement was not met, the development of the argument is considered incomplete.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central theme. Cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, the use of these devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. Additionally, there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the slightly awkward phrasing in the final sentence. While the progression of ideas is generally clear, the lack of sufficient length limits the ability to demonstrate more sophisticated cohesive techniques.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. There are several spelling errors, such as 'alot' (a lot), 'culutral' (cultural), and 'kammez' (kameez). The student relies on basic collocations like 'types of clothing' and 'creative personality'. While the meaning is always clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and the errors in spelling and word formation prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring correct spelling of common terms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('someone who wear', 'clothes... showes'), missing articles ('a person's', 'the way they wear'), and pluralization errors ('a clothes'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. The student demonstrates an attempt at complex structures, but the lack of control over basic grammar rules keeps the score in the mid-range. More attention to proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article usage is necessary.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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