Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-20

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)

There is an ongoing debate over whether people's personalities or their cultures can be described by their dressing style. While a few individuals believe that there is a possibility in the statement, others disagree with it. I partially agree with this notion. From my standpoint, although dress codes of individuals can certainly explain their cultures, the character is sometime which is built by the circumstances and life exeriences rather than by garments.

One of the major reasons how clothes depict the culture or religion of a person is that ancient traditionals are associated with clothing even in the modern times. To cite an example, Punjabis wear turban which is a large piece of cloth wrapped around their heads not for the protection but as a religious symbol. Additionally, in Punjab, girls wear particular clothing called Salwar and Kamij, a long shirt with a kind of loose trouser, especially during festivals which is passed on to them by their ancestors and depicts their sense of togetherness by sharing similar types of clothes. Therefore, they are easy to recognise in all the places around the globe and it explains the importance of culture and religion for them.

On the contrary, I think that clothing style cannot be considered as a tool to describe someone's character since personality traits are built by the choices made by them or the life experience of individuals rather than by their dressing. Some individuals have hard phases in their lives which make them cold-hearted and isolated from the world. This makes people think they are rude or disobedient. Thus, judging someone's personality is the indicator of their life experience or their hardships not clothing.

Taking everything into aacount, I finally conclude that although clothing is a great tool to describe a person's culture, religion or history, the character is a thing which cannot be explained by clothing as it is associated with the personal experiences of an individuals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The candidate successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by taking a clear, partially agreeing position. The response explores both sides of the argument: acknowledging how clothing reflects culture and religion, while arguing that character is shaped by life experiences rather than garments. The ideas are supported with relevant examples, such as the use of turbans and traditional Punjabi attire like the Salwar and Kamij. However, the development of the counter-argument regarding character could be slightly more expansive and nuanced. Overall, the task is well-handled, demonstrating a coherent position throughout, which aligns with the requirements for a Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, beginning with an introduction that outlines the stance, followed by well-defined body paragraphs addressing culture and character separately, and concluding with a summary. Cohesive devices such as 'While a few individuals', 'Additionally', 'On the contrary', and 'Taking everything into aacount' (note the typo) are used to guide the reader, although some transitions feel slightly formulaic. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, contributing to an overall coherent piece of writing that fits comfortably into a Band 7.0 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task. Less common lexical items are attempted, such as 'ongoing debate', 'cold-hearted', and 'isolated from the world'. There are, however, a few inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'ancient traditionals' (should be traditions) and 'character is sometime which is built'. Spelling errors like 'exeriences' and 'aacount' also appear. These errors do not impede communication, allowing the response to secure a solid Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over relative clauses and conditional structures. There are, however, noticeable grammatical slips and awkward phrasing, such as 'character is sometime which is built', 'reasons how clothes depict', and 'judging someone's personality is the indicator of their life experience or their hardships not clothing'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but minor errors persist and occasionally disrupt the flow. The frequency of these non-systematic errors places the grammatical performance securely at a Band 6.0.

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