Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

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 the statement is true, others disagree with it. I partially agree with this notion. From my standpoint, although the dress codes of individuals can certainly explain their cultures, the character is something which is built by the circumstances and life exeriences rather than by garments.

One of the major reasons why clothes depict the culture or religion of a person is that ancient traditions are associated with clothing even in the modern times. To cite an example, Punjabis wear a 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 a 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 people's choices or the life experiences rather than by their dressing. Some individuals have challenging phases in their lives which make them cold-hearted and isolated from the world. As a result, people consider them rude or disobedient. Thus, someone's personality is the indicator of their life experiences 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, character is a thing which cannot be explained by clothing as it is associated with the personal experiences of individuals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position and discussing both aspects mentioned in the prompt: culture and character. In the introduction, the writer takes a balanced stance, arguing that clothes can indicate culture but not necessarily character. This position is maintained throughout the essay. The ideas are adequately supported with relevant examples, such as the use of turbans and traditional Punjabi attire like the salwar kameez to illustrate cultural identity, and the discussion of life experiences shaping personality. While some arguments could have been further extended, the response fully satisfies the requirements of the task with a well-developed line of reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, starting with a well-defined introduction that outlines the writer's stance. Body paragraphs are introduced with clear signposting phrases such as 'One of the major reasons' and 'On the contrary', guiding the reader smoothly through the argument. Cohesive devices are used effectively, though referencing is occasionally repetitive. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately to separate the introduction, two body paragraphs, and the conclusion, ensuring the overall arrangement remains coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision, such as 'ongoing debate', 'cold-hearted', 'isolated', and 'togetherness'. There are attempts to use less common lexical items related to culture and character. However, there are a few minor spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'exeriences' instead of 'experiences', 'dressing style' rather than 'dress sense' or 'style of dress', and 'Salwar and Kamij'. Despite these occasional inaccuracies, the vocabulary is adequate for the task and communication is never impeded.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The writer demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses and conditional-like phrasing effectively (e.g., 'although the dress codes of individuals can certainly explain their cultures, the character is something which is built...'). There is generally good control of grammar and punctuation, with frequent error-free sentences. Minor errors do occur, such as unnecessary articles or awkward prepositions in phrases like 'taking everything into aacount' (which also contains a typo). Nonetheless, these errors are non-systematic and do not impede the overall communication of ideas.

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