Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-25
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, many companies in their advertising always say that their products are new or improved in some way. In this essay there would be justified reasons to get better understanding. As, I think this trend has both good and bad sides.
There are several reasons why companies focus on "newness" in their ads. First, people are naturally curious about new things. When a product is advertise as new, customers want to try it because they think it might be better than the old one. For example, smartphone companies always say their latest model have new features like better camera or faster processor. This make people want to buy the new phone even if their old one still work fine. Second, businesses need to compete with each other. If one company launch a new product, others must also do something innovative to keep their customers. So, advertising newness is a way to stay ahead in the market.
In my opinion, this development have both positive and negative effects. Talking about positive side, it encourage companies to innovate and improve their products. For instance, when car companies compete to make more fuel-efficient cars, this is good for the environment and for consumers who save money on petrol. Also, new products often solve problems that old products cannot fix, like medicines that cure diseases better.
However, there are also negative aspects. Many times, companies only make small changes and call it "new" just to sell more. This is not really innovation, it is just marketing trick. For example, some cosmetic brands change the packaging or add a little extra ingredient and then say it is completely new. This waste people's money because they buy things they do not really need. Another problem is that this create a culture of consumerism where people always want the latest thing and throw away old things that are still useful. This is bad for the environment because it create more waste.
To conclude, businesses draws attention towards newness in advertising to attract customers and compete in the market. While this can lead to useful innovations, it also have drawbacks like unnecessary consumption and marketing tricks. I believe this is a mixed development, but companies should be more honest about what is really new and what is not.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing clear reasons for why businesses emphasize 'newness' and offering a balanced view on whether this is positive or negative. The position is consistent throughout the essay. Ideas are well-developed, such as the discussion on innovation versus consumerism. However, the development could be slightly more sophisticated to reach a higher band. For example, the point about 'marketing tricks' is relevant but could be expanded with more nuanced analysis of the psychological impact on consumers. Overall, the response is well-structured and directly answers the prompt.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, such as the reasons for advertising newness, the positive impacts, and the negative impacts. Cohesive devices like 'First', 'Second', 'For instance', and 'However' are used effectively to guide the reader. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions between sentences could be more varied to avoid a slightly mechanical feel. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the progression of ideas is clear throughout the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows for clear communication. You use some topic-specific terms like 'innovation', 'fuel-efficient', 'consumerism', and 'marketing tricks'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is occasional repetition of basic words. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and less common synonyms. For instance, instead of 'good and bad sides', you could use 'merits and drawbacks' or 'advantages and disadvantages'. The current range is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but lacks the sophistication required for a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several recurring grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'latest model have', 'this make', 'this development have', 'it encourage', 'this create', 'it create', 'it also have'). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable. While you attempt complex sentences, the accuracy in these structures is inconsistent. Focusing on proofreading for basic agreement errors would significantly improve your score, as your ability to construct complex ideas is already present.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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