Nov 29

IELTS Writing Task 2 - Model Answer - Wearing fashionable clothes

For more and more people, wearing fashionable clothes has become very important. Is this attitude to wearing fashionable clothes a positive or a negative development? 

For many decades, keeping up-to-date with the latest fashion trends was something predominantly done by celebrities or those working in the world of fashion. This has now extended to people from all walks of life and the majority of us are becoming dedicated followers of fashion. There are both benefits and drawbacks of this; however, I personally feel that it borders on being more harmful than beneficial.

A prime example why this could be advantageous is that it has made fashionable clothing more affordable for the masses. Previously, owning such items meant buying overpriced designer clothes and, therefore, it was only accessible to the wealthy and the privileged. In the last few decades, however, because of increased interest in fashion, high street chains have been producing trendy clothes at affordable prices. As a result, fashion has become accessible to all, which is, undoubtedly, a positive step forward.

Despite this, it cannot be denied that this desire to be stylish has negative consequences. Firstly, it has made clothes more disposable, as outfits are produced cheaply, often using cheap or child labor, worn on a couple of occasions and, subsequently, discarded. In addition to this, there is a great deal of pressure, particularly on the younger generation, to keep up with their peers. For instance, if one of your classmates is wearing the latest Nike trainers, consequently, everyone in the class feels pressurised into having the same or equally trendy footwear.

Taking everything into account, this obsession with wearing the latest fashion trends, especially in these days of posting every single outfit worn on social media, has made clothes throwaway and not reusable. Moreover, this incessant need to have the latest must-have items puts far too much pressure on adolescents and, thus, cannot be regarded as progress. 

Vocabulary

  • predominantly = mainly
  • people from all walks of life = everybody
  • dedicated followers of fashion = people who follow the latest fashion trends
  • to border on = if you talk about a characteristic or situation bordering on something, usually something that you consider bad, you mean that it is almost that thing
  • the masses = ordinary people; the general public
  • the wealthy and the privileged = rich people and people in positions of high status
  • trendy = fashionable
  • stylish = fashionable
  • disposable = thrown away after use (e.g. disposable coffee cups are bad for the environment)
  • discarded = thrown away
  • to keep up with their peers = to have the same things as others the same age (your peers are people the same age as you)
  • incessant = non-stop
  • must-have items = things you think you must have because they are trendy and popular
  • cannot be regarded as progress = is not a positive development

IELTS Writing Tip

This essay has a lot of complex vocabulary and collocations. It is hard to learn a lot of new vocabulary so try to focus on one area first. A lot of IELTS candidates use the word 'people' over and over again. In your next essay, try to use alternatives e.g. people from all walks of life; the masses; the wealthy and the privileged; the general public; adolescents; teens etc. Just focusing on one area at a time is a good way to improve your writing 
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