Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-07

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)

Nowadays, businesses frequently emphasize the fact that their products are new or improved in their advertisements. This essay will discuss the reasons for this trend and argue that it is generally a positive development.

There are several reasons why companies focus on the newness of their products. Firstly, new products can attract consumers’ attention more effectively than familiar ones. People are often curious about new features and improvements, which can encourage them to purchase a product. Secondly, emphasizing innovation allows businesses to compete with other companies in the same market. For example, smartphone manufacturers regularly promote new cameras, faster processors and improved designs to persuade customers to buy their latest models. It also creates a competition among manufacturing companies and advertising the offers the features of the product creates more hype and attracts more customers.

In my opinion, this is largely a positive development, although it can have some disadvantages. Competition between businesses encourages companies to improve their products and develop new technologies. As a result, consumers can benefit from better quality, greater convenience and more choices. However, some companies may exaggerate the differences between their new and older products simply to increase sales. This can encourage unnecessary spending, particularly when the improvements are relatively minor. Most of the people buys new products to keep themselves updates according to the society and match the hype.

In conclusion, businesses emphasize the newness of their products mainly to attract customers and remain competitive. Although this advertising strategy can encourage unnecessary purchases, I believe it is predominantly positive because it promotes innovation and gives consumers access to improved products.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

You have addressed all parts of the prompt, providing clear reasons for the trend of emphasizing 'newness' and offering a balanced view on whether this is positive or negative. Your position is consistent throughout the essay. The ideas are relevant and well-supported, particularly the example of smartphone manufacturers. To reach a higher band, you could further extend the discussion on the negative aspects, perhaps by exploring the environmental impact of planned obsolescence or the psychological pressure on consumers, which would add more depth to your analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices effectively, such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'As a result', and 'However', which help guide the reader through your arguments. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the reasons from your personal opinion. The progression of ideas is smooth, and the relationship between sentences is generally clear. To improve, ensure that referencing is always precise; for instance, 'it' in the second paragraph could be more clearly linked to the specific act of advertising rather than the general concept of competition.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with precision. Phrases like 'emphasize the fact', 'attract consumers’ attention', and 'planned obsolescence' (or similar concepts) are used effectively. There are some minor issues with word choice, such as 'advertising the offers the features' which is slightly awkward, and 'keep themselves updates' which should be 'updated'. While you use some good topic-specific vocabulary, incorporating more sophisticated collocations or less common lexical items would help elevate your score further.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively. Most of your sentences are clear and error-free. However, there are a few grammatical slips, such as 'Most of the people buys', which should be 'Most people buy', and the aforementioned 'keep themselves updates'. These errors are minor and do not impede communication. To achieve a higher band, aim for more consistent control over subject-verb agreement and ensure that complex sentences are constructed with greater precision to minimize these occasional slips.

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