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 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing reasons for the emphasis on 'newness' and a clear stance on whether this is positive or negative. The position is consistent throughout. Ideas are well-developed, particularly the example of Apple, which illustrates the point about overconsumption effectively. The argument regarding the long-term impact on brand reputation is also logical and relevant. To reach a higher band, the response could benefit from a more nuanced exploration of why businesses feel compelled to use this strategy in the first place, perhaps touching on competitive pressures, to provide a more comprehensive analysis of the 'Why' part of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'A key justification for this stance', 'However', and 'As a result' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions between sentences could be more sophisticated to avoid a slightly mechanical feel. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and contributes to the clarity of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is sufficient and generally appropriate for the task. You use terms like 'overconsumption', 'financially irresponsible', and 'tarnish a business's reputation' effectively. There are some minor issues with collocation and word choice, such as 'avoid to buy' (should be 'avoid buying') and 'business's that depend' (should be 'businesses that depend'). While you demonstrate a good range, the vocabulary is functional rather than highly sophisticated. Incorporating more precise academic collocations would help elevate the lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a good control of complex sentence structures, such as the use of conditional and concessive clauses. Most sentences are error-free, and your punctuation is generally accurate. However, there are a few minor grammatical slips, such as the incorrect pluralization in 'business's' (should be 'businesses') and the aforementioned 'avoid to buy'. Additionally, the final sentence contains a redundant 'but' after the 'while' clause, which is a common error. Despite these, the errors are infrequent and do not impede communication, showing a good level of grammatical control.

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