Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-28

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In their advertising, businesses nowadays usually emphasise that their products are new in some way. Why is this? Do you think it is a positive or negative development?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 7.5)

It cannot be denied that advertising plays a crucial role in modern business by boosting sales and attracting customers. In recent times, it has become a common trend for companies to highlight that their products are new or innovative. There are several reasons behind this practice, and I believe it represents a negative development. Both the reasons and my perspective will be elaborated in the ensuing paragraphs.

Focusing on the reasons, the most important one is that in a competitive market, companies must differentiate themselves from rivals, and presenting their goods as innovative helps them capture attention. Moreover, technological advancements and changing consumer preferences encourage firms to constantly update their products. For instance, smartphone manufacturers frequently release updated models with minor changes, yet they advertise them as revolutionary to stimulate demand.

However, I consider this trend to be pessimistic. Firstly, it often misleads customers, as many products advertised as “new” may only have superficial changes rather than genuine improvements. This can create unrealistic expectations and lead to disappointment. Secondly, the constant emphasis on novelty encourages overconsumption, pushing people to buy items they do not truly need, which contributes to waste and environmental damage. Lastly, such advertising strategies may undermine trust between businesses and consumers, as people become sceptical of exaggerated claims.

In conclusion, while businesses highlight the newness of their products to attract attention and remain competitive in the market, I believe this is a negative development. It fosters consumerism, misleads buyers, and damages long-term trust in advertising.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: explaining why businesses emphasize 'newness' and providing a clear opinion on whether this is positive or negative. The ideas are relevant and logically developed. However, the response is 248 words long, failing to meet the 250-word minimum requirement. This minor length deficiency impacts the overall task achievement, as the development of ideas is slightly constrained by the brevity. To reach a higher band, ensure you expand slightly more on your examples, such as elaborating on the environmental impact of overconsumption or providing a more detailed real-world example beyond smartphone manufacturers.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The essay is well-organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The progression of ideas is logical, moving from the reasons for the trend to the negative implications. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'However', 'Firstly', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. The paragraphing is appropriate, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the argument. The flow is smooth, and the reader can easily follow your line of reasoning throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic essay. Phrases like 'differentiate themselves from rivals', 'stimulate demand', and 'undermine trust' are used accurately. There is a clear attempt to use less common items, and the word choice is generally precise. While the vocabulary is sufficient and effective, incorporating a few more sophisticated collocations or idiomatic academic expressions could elevate the score further. The spelling is accurate throughout, and the vocabulary used is well-suited to the formal tone of the task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The essay displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You use complex sentences effectively, such as 'while businesses highlight the newness of their products to attract attention and remain competitive in the market, I believe this is a negative development.' Grammar is generally accurate, and there are no significant errors that impede communication. Punctuation is handled well. To achieve a higher band, you could experiment with a wider variety of complex structures, such as inversion or more advanced conditional forms, to demonstrate greater grammatical flexibility.

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