Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

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 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 to lead a moderate consumers' experience, but also, in the case of eatables, jeopardize their health. One instance of this, is what happened with zero-sugar soft drinks when companies competed to make zero-sugar versions of their prominent drinks using chemical sweeteners, however, later on this additive after scientific investigation proved to be the cause serious diseases such as Cancer.

In conclusion, despite the fact that excessive focus on making product look new can bring economic benefits, In my opinion, I consider it a negative development as it could lead to business decisions that are, in many cases, deemed to be unethical.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed both parts of the prompt: explaining why businesses emphasize 'newness' and providing your opinion on whether this is positive or negative. Your position is clear from the introduction and maintained throughout. The ideas are relevant, such as the psychological appeal of novelty and the potential for unethical business practices. However, the development of these ideas could be more nuanced. For instance, the example regarding 'zero-sugar soft drinks' is a bit tangential, as it focuses on health additives rather than the marketing of 'newness' itself. To reach a higher band, ensure that every example directly supports the core argument about the impact of advertising strategies.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'The primary reason,' 'For instance,' and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing and flow. For example, the phrase 'One instance of this, is what happened' contains unnecessary punctuation and slightly awkward phrasing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, which helps the overall readability. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that the logical progression between sentences is smoother.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'inherent instinct,' 'bolster,' and 'morally questionable.' There are some instances of slightly unnatural word choices, such as 'eatables' (which is rarely used in this context; 'food products' or 'consumables' would be better) and 'moderate consumers' experience' (which is unclear). You also have a few minor errors in word formation, such as 'human's' instead of 'humans'' or 'human'. While your vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, incorporating more precise collocations and avoiding slightly awkward phrasing would elevate your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For example, 'most companies became adopted this approach' is grammatically incorrect; it should be 'most companies have adopted.' Additionally, 'could possibly leading' should be 'could possibly lead,' and 'an act not only could to lead' is syntactically flawed. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, pay closer attention to verb forms, auxiliary verbs, and sentence construction to ensure greater accuracy in your complex structures.

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

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