Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-23

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)

For the marketing of the products, businesses of this era generally market their products as unique. There might be several reasons why companies advertise their products in such ways. In my opinion, it's a positive development unless the customers are getting the true value from the products that are advertised as new.

Due the advancements in the scientific researches, we now understand the human psychology better than ever. Therefore, the advertising industry analyzes the human behaviour and implements the techniques that is beneficial for the businesses.

There's a human tendency that they look for the novelty. For example, there's a new fashion trend almost each year. The clothing brands sell the cloths from the last season in discounts and introduce slightly new designs as the new arrivals and sell them at higher prices. This is one of the reasons the businesses present their products as a new launch to achieve more sales, hence, more revenue.

I think the other reason is that the businesses have to follow the trends in the market. The consumer's demands change with the time. The businesses have to launch the new products frequently. Therefore, launching new products demands new features. There might not be enough developments in the market in which the business is operating. So, the businesses launch new products with slight changes and market them as one of its kind.

I can conclude it with the statement that customers change the market trends and businesses don't want to left behind. So, they use the right marketing techniques to generate sales unless they are not making false claims and looting their customers.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for emphasizing 'newness' and your opinion on whether this is positive or negative. You provide clear reasons, such as human psychology and market trends. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the discussion on the 'positive' aspect is brief and slightly confusing due to the phrasing 'unless the customers are getting the true value'. To reach a higher band, ensure your position is more clearly articulated throughout the essay and provide more depth in your supporting examples, perhaps by contrasting the benefits of innovation with the potential downsides of deceptive marketing.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each focusing on a distinct point. You use some cohesive devices like 'Therefore' and 'For example' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel abrupt. For example, the transition between the introduction and the first body paragraph could be smoother. Additionally, the use of referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the final paragraph where the connection between 'customers change the market trends' and the subsequent conclusion is slightly disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'human psychology', 'novelty', and 'revenue'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'Due the advancements' should be 'Due to the advancements', and 'sell the cloths from the last season in discounts' is better phrased as 'sell last season's clothes at a discount'. While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing to improve your lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'the techniques that is beneficial' (should be 'are beneficial'), 'don't want to left behind' (should be 'don't want to be left behind'), and 'unless they are not making false claims' (which creates a double negative that confuses the intended meaning). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice to improve your accuracy.

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.