Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-01

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 order to evoke customers sense of curiosity, an increasing number of companies are prioritizing advertisements that paint their products as new. I firmly believe that this trend is negative as it could encourage fraudulent policies within businesses.

The primary reason why many companies are choosing to find ways to make their product look new is human's inherent instinct to experience things for the first time. As human beings we a natural urge to try and discover new things and show them to friends and family. As a marketing strategy, most companies became adopted this approach to bolster their sales. For instance, Although many of apple's new products are almost identical to their previous versions, when advertised, they focus even on the trivial modification to make their products look brand new, keeping their sales number in an upward trend. Even though it is economically effective, this marketing scheme is morally questionable.

I strongly believe the hyper-focus on the new features of products when being promoted could possibly leading fraudulent claims about them. Many companies rush the development of new technology so they can include it in their new version of their product which is an act not only could lead to a moderate consumer's experience,

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, as it is only 205 words long. This significantly impacts the development of the argument. While you clearly state your position in the introduction, the essay is incomplete; it cuts off mid-sentence in the second body paragraph. Consequently, the second part of the prompt (the negative/positive development) is not fully explored, and the conclusion is entirely missing. To improve, you must ensure you provide a full, balanced argument with sufficient supporting evidence and a clear conclusion. The current lack of completion prevents a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay shows a basic level of organization with an introduction and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'In order to', 'The primary reason', and 'Even though', which help the flow. However, because the text is incomplete and ends abruptly, the overall progression of ideas is severely disrupted. Paragraphing is present, but the lack of a concluding paragraph makes the structure feel unfinished. To improve, focus on completing your thoughts and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence followed by fully developed supporting points that lead logically to a conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'evoke', 'inherent instinct', 'bolster', and 'morally questionable'. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'most companies became adopted this approach' (should be 'have adopted') and 'moderate consumer's experience' (likely meant 'mediocre'). While you attempt to use more sophisticated language, the limited length of the essay restricts your ability to demonstrate a wider, more flexible range of vocabulary. To improve, focus on accurate collocations and ensure that your word choices precisely convey your intended meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that affect clarity, such as 'human's inherent instinct' (should be 'humans' inherent instinct'), 'could possibly leading' (should be 'could possibly lead'), and 'an act not only could lead to' (should be 'an act that could not only lead to'). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable but do not completely impede communication. To reach a higher band, you need to increase the frequency of error-free sentences and ensure that complex structures are used with greater grammatical precision.

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

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