Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-31

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)

Many people argue that they can tell a lot about a person's character and culture from their dressing style. I somewhat agree with this statement and I will further elaborate my point using relevant examples.

Judging someone's culture from their outfit is possible. By this I mean, one can easily tell about a person's region or culture by looking at their attire. For example, if a man is wearing shalwar kameez in a foreign country. It is highly possible that he is either from India, Pakistan or Bangladesh because this particular dress originates from these countries so it is highly unlikely that someone else wears it. Also, these countries share a similar culture so the viewer can get an idea about the person's culture.

On the other hand, the part of the statement which I do not agree is judging someone's character on the basis of clothes. Moreover, there are eight billion people in the world and everyone could have a different character. So, It is not possible to tell anything about their character just by their appearance and choice of clothes. For instance, following the infamous incident of 9/11, many muslims faced racism on the basis of their attire. If someone was wearing a turban and an Arab style dress, they were seen as dangerous, especially in the western countries. There were also incidents of arresting innocent people just on the basis of their appearance and clothing. Later on, many NGOs came forward and helped such persons and proved that they were harmless people that were mistreated just because of the way they looked or dressed.

In conclusion, someone's choice of clothes can tell a lot about their origin and culture but it is impossible to judge their character on the basis of it. Therefore, I do not completely agree to this statement.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

Your position is clear throughout: you partly agree, distinguishing between what clothing may suggest about culture and what it cannot reliably reveal about character. Both sides of the question are addressed, and the examples of shalwar kameez and post-9/11 discrimination support your main points. The discussion is relevant and extended, particularly when you explain how people were wrongly judged by their appearance. To make the argument more fully developed, qualify broad claims such as “it is highly unlikely that someone else wears it” and explain that clothing can indicate cultural influence without proving a person’s origin. A more precise distinction between cultural clues and individual character would strengthen the reasoning further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall progression: the introduction states your qualified position, the body paragraphs consider culture and character separately, and the conclusion restates your view. Paragraphing is appropriate, and signposts such as “On the other hand” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the argument. The examples are placed where they support the relevant point. Some linking is a little mechanical, however, particularly “Moreover” at the start of the character paragraph, where the relationship to the preceding sentence is not especially clear. The sentence beginning “For example, if a man is wearing…” is also separated from its main clause by a full stop. Smoother connections and clearer sentence boundaries would make the progression more polished.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use a suitable range of topic vocabulary, including “attire,” “appearance,” “racism,” and “mistreated,” and these choices help communicate the contrast between cultural identity and character. The language is generally clear, with some attempts at more formal phrasing. However, several expressions are imprecise or repetitive: “tell about a person’s region,” “this particular dress originates from these countries,” and repeated references to “on the basis of” could be made more natural and exact. “Arab style dress” is also a broad label for clothing associated with diverse communities. More precise collocations and less repetition would show greater flexibility and control while preserving your clear meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including conditional phrasing (“if a man is wearing…”) and a relative clause (“people that were mistreated…”). Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, and the argument remains easy to follow. Some grammatical and punctuation errors persist, though. In “For example, if a man is wearing shalwar kameez in a foreign country,” the dependent clause is incorrectly punctuated as a complete sentence; it should be joined to the following clause. In “the part of the statement which I do not agree,” the verb pattern needs “agree with.” There is also inconsistent capitalisation in “It” and “muslims.” Review clause boundaries, verb patterns, and capital letters to improve accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.