Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-24

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)

Businesses look to improve the features of their existing products or build unique, innovative products. Many businesses, when advertising their products, generalise that their product is new. But while promoting products to the public, businesses tend to explain their uniqueness and how better it is than existing ones. In my opinion, it is essential to know why the product is new and useful.

Businesses mainly focus on improving features; also, customers look for unique products rather than existing ones. Nowadays, many companies are promoting their products as new and innovative; however, it is the responsibility of customers to verify whether those products are actually solving any problem or just a copy of another product. For example, consider mobile phones companies who tries to add new features in each facelift, and people get to know the main added feature of the product through their advertisements. However, there are some smartphones that are copy models of other phones. Differentiating the products is a crucial thing to do before buying and watching any business promotions related to products.

Millions of citizens watch advertisements of new products; the first thing they notice is whether it is new or existed one. After that, they also observe the way businesses explain the product by talking about the main development they made in the product. I think that stressing whether the product is new by businesses is a positive development because customers want the specific reason to buy the product, and that reason should be clearly stated by the businesses in their promotional content.

Undoubtedly, strongly stressing the product model by claiming its originality is not an exaggeration but more precise detail provided by the businesses to address their innovation.

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. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention the need for customers to verify claims, the explanation of why this is a 'positive development' is brief and lacks depth. To reach a higher band, you should provide more concrete examples or explore the implications of this trend—such as the impact on consumerism or the pressure on companies to innovate—rather than just stating that customers want specific reasons to buy. The position is clear, but the supporting arguments could be more thoroughly extended.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'however' and 'for example', to link sentences. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For instance, the transition between the discussion of mobile phone companies and the general conclusion about consumer responsibility is a bit abrupt. The use of referencing is generally clear, but improving the variety of linking words would help the essay read more naturally and improve the overall cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'innovative', 'promotional content', and 'exaggeration'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'generalise that their product is new' or 'mobile phones companies who tries'. The word choice is generally functional but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing when discussing business strategies or consumer behavior.

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 that occur throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('mobile phones companies who tries') and awkward phrasing ('whether it is new or existed one'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and refining the use of articles and verb tenses to ensure greater accuracy in your complex sentences.

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

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