Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-04

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 6.5)

Personally, I think that there are different reasons why businesses choose to adopt this kind of advertising strategy. First of all, there is the savage competition between similar brands: companies are constantly looking for new strategies to get a bigger slice of customers and to obtain greater earnings.

While brands are trying to highlight differences and changes in their products, the reality is that these are all at the same level of progress and there are no significant advantages in choosing one over another; their aim is to convince people to feel differences that, often, are not even real. This aspect is closely linked with the second reason that leads to this phenomenon, which is the need of people to own the best objects that markets can offer. Moreover, people are led to believe that even a small improvement in a technological field could radically change their lives even if, as in reality happens, it is just a useless expense influenced by their emotions.

An interesting example could be "artificial reality": just a few years ago, Apple released a new device that, according to what they were claiming, would change our lives. What really happened is that a lot of people bought it and, today, nobody uses it anymore.

Personally, I believe that this development has substantial negative consequences: although sometimes businesses are really bringing something new or innovative to the market, in the majority of cases they are just trying to persuade people to spend their money, sometimes more than they can afford. Furthermore, this strategy has a huge impact on the environment because it leads to the production of numerous objects with short life expectancies.

In conclusion, I believe that this kind of advertising campaign is more harmful than we think and quite unethical but, unfortunately, destined to last for a long time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for the emphasis on 'newness' and the evaluation of whether this is positive or negative. Your position is clear from the outset and maintained throughout. The ideas regarding market competition and consumer psychology are relevant and well-developed. The example of 'artificial reality' (likely referring to VR headsets) is a pertinent illustration of your point. To reach a higher band, you could further extend the discussion on the 'positive' side of the argument, even if only to dismiss it, to ensure a more balanced exploration of the topic, as the current response is heavily weighted towards the negative perspective.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the transition between the reasons for the advertising strategy and the evaluation of its impact is smooth. You use a range of cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Moreover', 'While', and 'Furthermore' effectively. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. The flow of information is natural, and the referencing is clear throughout the text, making the argument easy to follow for the reader.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'savage competition', 'short life expectancies', and 'radically change' show an ability to use more sophisticated language. There are some minor inaccuracies in collocation, such as 'get a bigger slice of customers' (usually 'market share') and 'as in reality happens' (which is slightly awkward phrasing). However, these do not impede communication. To improve, try to incorporate more idiomatic or academic collocations to elevate the tone of the essay further.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay displays a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You use subordinate clauses effectively, such as 'although sometimes businesses are really bringing something new...'. While there are occasional minor errors, such as 'the need of people' (should be 'need for people') and 'as in reality happens', the majority of your sentences are error-free. Punctuation is generally accurate, and the grammatical control is strong enough to ensure that the meaning is never obscured. The range of structures is sufficient to support your arguments clearly.

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