Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-17

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)

While some persons argue that it is possible to know about an individual's personality and their cultural persepective from the type of clothing they choose . This essay will be on the fence as neither does it strongly agree or disagree with the notion.

To begin , the world is very diverse with different categories of people and people wih similar cultural backgeound tend to do many things similarly , such as the way the eat , the houses they live and the way they dress. For example the native Americans are well known for their woolen clothes and heir igloos , the Japanese are know for their komonos , the Chinese are know for their specific satin dress and specific food that are perculiar to the stir -fried rice . Also we can see each persons have particular dishes hat they associate with their cultural background .

On the other hand, with the effect of globalisation, and colonisation, many specific factors from other culturals had being adopted by new communities , For example in Indian , the ladies Sari only consist of a single cloth draped around their bodies when they were colonised by the British little dress was introduced , they men's Kurta ' was replaced with suits and trousers . They now prefer and tend to present more western in apperance .Even in Africa traditional dresses had being replaced with more western looking clothings.

In conclusion, while many argue that its possible to tell about an individual culture and character from their clothing choices, while this essay agree that some culture do have specific dresses associated with them, many other people are adopted different cultural pratices due to globalisation and the effect of colonisation .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address the question by presenting a qualified position: clothing can indicate cultural background, but globalisation and colonisation make this less reliable. The examples of Japanese clothing and the adoption of Western styles in India and Africa are relevant to that argument. However, the opening says you are “on the fence,” and the conclusion repeats both sides without clearly stating how far you agree or disagree. The discussion also focuses much more on culture than on the question’s other key idea, character; there is little explanation of what clothing might reveal about an individual’s personality. Develop that aspect and explain your examples more carefully—for instance, how a clothing choice signals culture, and when it does not—to address the task more fully and clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs, and a conclusion. “On the other hand” helps signal the shift from cultural traditions to the effects of globalisation, and the examples generally follow the point in each paragraph. However, the progression is sometimes weakened by long, crowded sentences and unclear links between ideas. The first body paragraph moves from clothing to houses and food, so its focus becomes less direct. The conclusion also repeats the two sides rather than bringing them together into a clear final judgement. Use topic sentences that keep each paragraph focused, divide lists into clearer sentences, and make references such as “they” unambiguous.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-relevant vocabulary, including “cultural background,” “globalisation,” “colonisation,” and “adopted,” which helps communicate the main contrast. There are also attempts at more specific terms such as “draped” and “traditional dresses.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable and sometimes make the reader pause: “perculiar,” “culturals,” “backgeound,” and “clothings” are examples. Some expressions are also imprecise or unnatural, such as “present more western in apperance” and “specific food that are peculiar to the stir-fried rice.” Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling carefully. More precise vocabulary for personal style and identity would also help you discuss character, not only cultural traditions.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a contrast introduced by “while” and a sentence beginning “with the effect of globalisation.” However, control is inconsistent, and faulty sentence construction and verb forms sometimes make meaning difficult to follow. The opening is a sentence fragment beginning “While some persons argue,” followed by an incomplete or awkward main clause. Other examples include “people wih similar cultural backgeound tend to do many things similarly” (where agreement and number need attention) and “many specific factors … had being adopted,” which has an incorrect verb form. Punctuation spacing and sentence boundaries also need care. Practise building complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check tense, agreement, articles, and punctuation during revision.

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