Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-08

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 5.5)

Nowadays, businesses usually emphasise that their products are new in some way. It is also the way of marketing where people try to show that their products are unique and not similar to others.

In my opinion, it is a positive development with the new marketing strategy because people always wants to try and explore new things. Advertisement is one of the most important skills in business where consumer use the product after seeing the videos or photos. Today's world is the world of technology, where people blindly follow the social media and try to copy it.

In addition to this, people are always eager to learn and try new things so it makes people try one more time. They wanted to give a chance to a product that are newly launch in the market. With this, the product get their value in the market and later on, it builds customer trust. Once they build the trust, nobody can break the trust. For example, I have been using the Aloe Herbal products since past three years. I started using this after I saw an advertisement on TV where a girl with acne was using this and I was the one with similar problem. After this, I recommend this product to everyone whom I met because this is one of my favourite till today.

In conclusion, business today's focus that their product are newly launch because they clearly know how people follow the trend with advertisement.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying why businesses emphasize 'newness' and providing an opinion on whether this is positive. However, the essay falls short of the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the argument. While the position is clear, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the explanation of why businesses use this strategy is repetitive, and the link between 'newness' and 'customer trust' is not fully explored. To improve, you should expand on the economic or psychological reasons behind this marketing trend and ensure the essay meets the length requirement to allow for more comprehensive supporting arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is sometimes mechanical. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'In addition to this', 'In conclusion'), they are occasionally used incorrectly or in a way that feels forced. The progression of ideas within paragraphs is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the transition from technology to customer trust is abrupt. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each sentence logically follows the previous one to create a more cohesive and natural argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision expected at higher bands. There is significant repetition of basic words like 'product', 'people', and 'new'. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'newly launch' (should be 'newly launched') and 'the product get their value'. To achieve a higher score, you should aim to use more sophisticated vocabulary related to marketing and consumer behavior, such as 'innovative', 'market penetration', or 'brand loyalty', and pay closer attention to word forms and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('people always wants', 'the product get their value'), incorrect verb tenses ('since past three years'), and awkward phrasing ('business today's focus that their product are newly launch'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors suggests a lack of control over more complex structures. Focusing on basic grammatical accuracy, particularly verb forms and pluralization, will significantly improve your score.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.