Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-18

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 5.5)

Our tradition and up bringing would not mirror our appearance

I disagree because many people dress to impress others, few see their physical look as fashion. However, our emotions and habits can deeply mirror our physical appearance

Physical looks can be generalized to our way of life. many will categorize it with home training, social advances, environmental pressure, teen pressure or a way of letting our voices heard though our clothing. For example, a depressed person can come out with wrong clothing, a sick person can wear a dedicated clothing, a sport man can wear light clothing, an actor can choose to wear what reflects his current activity. one can choose to wear loosed cloth during summer. people actions does not generally mean they had training concern or conduct issues, but, humans just choose to be what they want others to see on them.

However, I will align with the physical appearance of someone not reflecting their culture or character, For instance, while we were growing up, we travel around the world, seeing different beautiful places, cultures and believe systems, one can easily steal a particular clothing and display it on the internet, a musical can choose to wear loosed clothing, that does not necessarily mean he or she has cultural issues or character concerns, the musician is only expressing the arts involve at that moment. Also, a model can display or advertise a product with loosed clothing, we cannot judge her because of her clothing, she only need to showcase that for a living.

In conclusion, our physical looks do not mirror our character or culture. because a person's culture and conduct is seen over time, not just on clothing.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student addresses the prompt by clearly stating a position of disagreement with the statement that clothing reflects character or culture. The response includes relevant examples, such as actors, musicians, models, and seasonal choices, to support the main argument. However, the development of ideas lacks depth and clarity in places, with some assertions feeling slightly disconnected or repetitive. While all parts of the prompt are addressed, the reasoning could be extended further and articulated more precisely to meet the higher band descriptors. Overall, the ideas are relevant and support the overall thesis, placing the response firmly in the band 6 category.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a generally coherent overall arrangement, with a clear introduction and conclusion. However, paragraphing is somewhat inconsistent, as the second main paragraph is very long and covers multiple distinct points that would be better separated into smaller paragraphs. Cohesive devices are occasionally mechanical or misused, such as the transition from the first body paragraph to the second. Referencing and logical progression between sentences occasionally falter, leading to moments where the flow of ideas is disrupted. Overall, the organizational structure is adequate for basic communication but shows flaws in cohesive management.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting some less common words and phrases such as 'generalised', 'environmental pressure', and 'belief systems'. However, there are notable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing throughout the text, such as 'home training', 'dedicated clothing', and 'loosed cloth'. Spelling and word-form errors, including 'up bringing' and 'sport man', also occur. While these lexical errors do not completely impede communication, they restrict the vocabulary score to a band 5.0, as the inaccuracies are noticeable and occasionally cause confusion for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though control over complex structures is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('people actions does not generally mean'), article usage, and punctuation, including comma splices and run-on sentences ('Our tradition and up bringing would not mirror our appearance I disagree because...'). Furthermore, capitalization is frequently neglected at the beginning of sentences. Although the meaning can generally be deciphered, the high frequency of grammatical slips and punctuation errors impacts the overall readability and places the performance in the band 5.0 range.

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

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