Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-03

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 6.0)

It is common for organisations to promote their products by emphasizing that new improvements have been made. Although many people argue that this can increase sales for a business, I firmly hold the view that this is a negative development as it can lead to overconsumption and long-term decline in sales.

A key justification for this stance is the fact that when companies frequently advertise their products by saying that it is new in a certain way, it can lead to people buying things that are not necessary. The public might throw or discard perfectly usable things because they are promised something better. This can ultimately lead to overconsumption and cause people to be financially irresponsible. For example, Apple launches new models for iPhone frequently with absolutely minimal changes to the structure, memory or other functions. However, the marketing of these phones convinces that users will have an overall improved experience. And many people end up throwing away their fully functional phones.

It is important to consider the long-term effects of such advertising strategies. When people buy things in hope that it is something unique and the results are not what they expected, it can cause disappointment. Such people might avoid to buy from specific businesses in the future. Ultimately, it can decrease sales for an organisation, lead to financial loss, and also ruin the reputation of the business. For example, people who find that certain businesses are false advertising their products, can leave bad reviews on social media. These bad reviews can reach individuals across the globe and create an unfavourable image for the brand.

Those who believe that this is a positive development only focus on the short-term success of the business. It is true that if corporations advertise their products by emphasizing originality in some way, they might gain more popularity. People get intrigued when they see a brand claiming such things and hence are inclined towards buying them. This can increase the business's customers but only in short-term. Eventually, people start noticing such patterns and find themselves dissatisfied with buying those products. As a result, business's that depend on this advertisement strategy experience a short success period as their popularity decreases over time.

Conclusively, while those who think this is a positive development believe that this promotion strategy can boost a company's sales, but I hold the view that this can tarnish a business's reputation in the long-term and promote overconsumption.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing reasons for the trend and a clear opinion on whether it is positive or negative. The position is consistent throughout. Ideas are well-developed, particularly the example regarding Apple, which effectively illustrates the concept of planned obsolescence. The argument is logical and supported by relevant examples. To reach a higher band, the student could further explore the nuance of the 'positive' side of the argument, perhaps discussing how innovation drives genuine technological progress, which would provide a more balanced and sophisticated analysis of the development.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the transition between the negative impacts and the counter-argument is smooth. Cohesive devices such as 'A key justification for this stance', 'Ultimately', and 'Conclusively' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, there is occasional mechanical use of linking words, and some referencing could be more precise. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure supports the development of the argument well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning with some precision. The student uses topic-specific terms like 'overconsumption', 'planned obsolescence' (implied), and 'tarnish a business's reputation'. There are some minor issues with collocation, such as 'avoid to buy' (should be 'avoid buying') and 'business's that depend' (incorrect apostrophe usage). While the range is adequate for the task, incorporating more sophisticated, less common lexical items would elevate the score. The current range is functional and allows for clear communication of complex ideas.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over sentence construction, though some errors persist. For instance, 'business's that depend' contains a punctuation error, and 'avoid to buy' is a grammatical inaccuracy. Additionally, the final sentence contains a redundant 'but' after 'while'. Despite these errors, the meaning is never obscured, and the complexity of the sentences is sufficient for the task. More consistent control over complex structures and punctuation would lead to a higher score.

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