Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-13
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)
It is stated that, advertisements of the newly launched products focus on the feature of something different than before. I believe people are always ready to upgrade to a new feature. This trend has positive as well as impacts on businesses development,
One of the advantages of featuring something new for the audience is that people are always excited for upgradation. From using the old boring product that they had been tired of using for long, people will eventually invest in a new updated feature of product that will result in a profitable sale for businesses. For example, apple launched the feature of three cameras on iPhone 11 pro which they advertised the most as a result it was the most sold product, making the business effort a success.
On the other hand, the disadvantage of this trend is that people who are more like to be in their comfort zone and are not efficient with every new feature advertised will hesitate to make a purchase. Also, businesses will be under pressure of always comping up with a new product that would be cost effective for a venture. For example, I am comfortable in using my laptop with keypad, I was thinking for an update but the new added feature of using it with a touch pen made me rethink for the new purchase.
In conclusion, businesses are comping up with strategies of advanced new features in their products is good as well as bad. It encourages business growth by making people excited for the new purchase while bad side to that is most people don't want to be out of their comfort zone of using familiar products.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both why businesses emphasise new products and evaluating whether this trend is positive or negative. A clear position is maintained throughout the essay. The ideas are extended and supported, such as when the student explains the advantage using the example of Apple launching a three-camera system on the iPhone 11 Pro, and the disadvantage using a personal example regarding a laptop touch pen. However, there is a tendency to over-generalise slightly in places, and some explanations could be further developed to reach higher bands. Overall, the task is answered satisfactorily, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptor.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay presents a clear logical organisation and overall progression. It is divided into an introduction, two body paragraphs discussing advantages and disadvantages respectively, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas, such as "One of the advantages" and "On the other hand". However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, as seen in the slightly awkward phrasing at the end of the introduction ("This trend has positive as well as impacts on businesses development,") and minor mechanical errors in transitions. These features reflect the characteristics of a Band 6 performance.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as "upgradation", "cost effective", and "comfort zone". However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word formation, such as "comping up" instead of "coming up" and "businesses are comping up with strategies" which lacks grammatical integration. Spelling and word-choice errors do not impede communication, allowing the reader to easily grasp the intended meaning. This falls squarely within the criteria for Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The student attempts complex structures, such as conditional or relative clauses, but these are occasionally affected by errors, for example, "It is stated that, advertisements of the newly launched products focus..." and punctuation slips. There are recurrent grammatical errors, such as missing articles, incorrect verb forms ("apple launched" instead of "Apple launched"), and spelling errors in verb forms like "comping up". While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede communication, corresponding to a Band 6 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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