Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-04

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)

In this huge civilization, there are numerous cultures all over the world. All the countries has its own culture and its own story attached to the beleif of culture. SOme people says that it is easy to understand the personality, character and culture from the choice of clothes the person wears. I fully disagree with this statement and also will share an example of my life that I experienced myselves.

To begin with, never judge the person with their appearance or the way of clothing they have. It can be possible that the person frokm another country just came to visit our country and was trying the western outfits of that couhntry. For example, as a brahmin - a hindu priest, the most basic and common outfit for us is our dhoti and kurta. One of my firend from Canada came with me to India, and so he was trying up our outift. Does that make him a brahmin or can anybody tell about his culture as well as character from the type of clothes he is wear. Absolutely nobody can say or comment on it.

Likewise, if anybody is wearing any other outfit from any other country, it does not proves about their culture or character particularly. Despite this, one can tell about how the person is looking in that type of clothes and give a good compliment which can let him/her feel confident.

To conclude, as it is said in English that never judge a book by its cover, the same phrase applies here which inspires others not to judge anybody according their looks or clothing sense.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you fully disagree with the idea that clothing reveals a person’s culture or character. The example of your Canadian friend wearing a dhoti and kurta is relevant and helps explain why clothing alone is not reliable evidence. You also add a related point that people may compliment an outfit without knowing the wearer’s background. However, this second idea is only briefly stated, and the response focuses more on culture than on character. To strengthen the argument, explain more fully how clothing choices can be influenced by fashion, comfort, or the occasion, and show why these factors make it difficult to judge someone’s personality. This would develop both parts of the question more evenly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The progression from your main disagreement to a personal example and then a further point is easy to follow. Linking phrases such as “To begin with,” “Likewise,” and “To conclude” help signal the stages of the argument. At times, however, these transitions feel mechanical, and some references are unclear—for example, “that country” in the example could refer to India or Canada. The second body paragraph also introduces the idea of complimenting someone’s appearance without clearly connecting it to the central claim. Use more precise references and explain the relationship between each point and your position to make the cohesion smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough vocabulary to communicate your main ideas, including relevant terms such as “personality,” “culture,” “outfit,” and “compliment.” The example also includes specific clothing names, which makes the discussion concrete. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “huge civilization,” “belief of culture,” “trying up our outfit,” and “clothing sense.” Spelling errors, including “beleif,” “firend,” and “outift,” also reduce the overall accuracy of the vocabulary. Aim for more natural expressions and check spelling carefully. For instance, you could describe cultural traditions, say someone “tried on traditional clothing,” and refer to a person’s “sense of style.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt a mixture of simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional question in the example and a concluding comparison. The main message is generally understandable, but errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction occur across the response. Examples include “All the countries has,” “Some people says,” “it does not proves,” and “the clothes he is wear.” The opening sentence “I fully disagree with this statement and also will share” also has an awkwardly formed verb phrase. Work on matching subjects and verbs, using the correct verb form after auxiliaries, and constructing complete, natural sentences. More accurate control of these patterns would make your argument clearer while retaining the range of structures you are attempting.

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

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