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)

In these days, businesses more often highlight that their product is modern and latest in their marketing campaigns. I would like to discuss a couple of reasons before agreeing to the fact that I do think it's a positive development.

The number one reason for businesses to emphasise their products as new ones, is the trend conscious audience. People today, want to live with the latest trends and fashion. Specially the youth, they want to carry the modern trends in every aspect of their lives in order to look bold and up-to-date. From wearing the modern outfits to buying the latest car, they always want the best and latest for theselves. This is why businesses show their products as new collection in order to grab everyone's attention.

Another reason why businesses tend to do this advertising is the strong competetion, we see in every business industry. There is always a vast number of options for the consumers from which they can choose. From this variety of choices, they tend to go with the latest and modern product, which motivates the stores and businesses to market their product as something new.

Overall, I believe that this is a positive development for both consumers and developers as it helps people to stay updated and buy the best for themselves as well as it creates convenience for the businesses to stay in touch with their audience, which helps a lot generating sales and revenue.

To sum up, there is a variety of reasons why businesses these days advertise their products as a new collection but this is somehow a positive development and is beneficial for both consumers and producers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: explaining why businesses emphasize 'newness' and providing an opinion on whether this is positive or negative. The ideas are relevant, focusing on consumer trends and market competition. However, the development is somewhat superficial. For example, the argument regarding 'youth' and 'modern outfits' is a bit repetitive, and the discussion on why it is a 'positive development' lacks depth, relying on general statements about sales and convenience rather than exploring the broader societal or economic implications. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced examples or counter-arguments to demonstrate a more thorough exploration of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. There is a logical progression of ideas from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'The number one reason', 'Another reason', and 'To sum up', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be more sophisticated. For instance, the link between the two body paragraphs could be smoother to create a more cohesive flow. Overall, the structure is functional and easy to follow, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the message to be conveyed clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'marketing campaigns', 'trend conscious', and 'revenue'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'competetion' (competition) and 'theselves' (themselves). The phrasing is often quite simple, and there is a lack of less common or idiomatic vocabulary that would demonstrate a higher level of lexical control. To improve, try to incorporate more precise synonyms and collocations to enhance the sophistication of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors and punctuation issues throughout the text. For example, 'In these days' is an unnatural collocation (should be 'Nowadays'), and there are comma splices and unnecessary commas, such as in 'the strong competetion, we see in every business industry'. Additionally, 'Specially the youth, they want...' is grammatically awkward. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on sentence variety and proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and punctuation will help improve your accuracy.

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

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