Some people say that it is possible to tell a lot about a person's culture and character from their choice of clothes. Before anything, we must first understand what the prompt says. Perhaps, the most crucial part is "it is possible to tell a lot...". This part is very important because the prompt is not saying that we can learn EVERYTHING about them. It is only presenting us with the possibility that we can tell a lot, but not everything.

However, many candidates misinterpret this. Let me demonstrate with a sentence from the introduction paragraph of an essay written by a candidate.
"I think that it is ethically unacceptable to interpret one’s character or culture based on how one dresses."
In this example, the candidate incorrectly thinks that the task says judging others based on their clothes is ethically acceptable, but the task does not say that.

Now look at this paraphrase from another introduction paragraph:
"It is believed that paying attention to people’s clothes is enough to gain a thorough knowledge of their personal and cultural values."
In this example, note the word "thorough," which shows a sense of completeness. Is the task saying we can COMPLETELY learn EVERYTHING about someone's character or personality?

Let us look at another sentence from an introduction paragraph.
“I believe that we can understand a few things about people by their appearance but not a lot about their culture and all aspects of their personality.”
Does this position make sense? This is a confusing position.


In this task, there are also some other keywords. Two that stand out are "culture" and "character.” Culture relates to society. Character, however, is about our attitudes, traits, and characteristics. To write a good response, we must pay equal attention to both.
What do we know about this task? Some facts…
• People are complex individuals shaped by various experiences, beliefs, and values.
• Clothing is one aspect of self-expression.
• Clothing can be influenced by various factors such as personal preference, fashion trends, societal norms, religious beliefs, or cultural traditions.

What else should we know about this matter? Some facts…
• Globalization and Westernization have ironed out our cultural differences. Many of us wear the same clothes now.
• People from certain cultures still honor their heritage and wear traditional clothes.
• Can our clothes show that we are generous, kind, or angry?
• Can they show that we are disciplined or tardy?
(The facts above about this task are adopted from AI).


Some candidates choose to argue that we can only tell a little about people's character and personality by looking at their clothes. They use facts about globalization or the complexity of human nature to support their idea.
Others choose to think that globalization might have made it nearly impossible to say anything about people's culture, but our sense of fashion still reveals some information about our personalities.
What is your position?