Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-14

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)

It is widely contended that modern enterprises are continually altering their promotional strategies to present newly launched goods in novel ways, largely to generate consumer interest and maximize commercial revenue. In my view, this shift represents a overwhelmingly positive development, as it fosters business growth and keeps consumers well-informed in a dynamic market.

To commence with, adapting promotional tactics allows businesses to effectively target younger demographics, thereby stimulating consumer demand. In many urban centers, for instance, fast-food chains publicize their offerings by featuring youth culture in social media campaigns. As a direct consequence, these products become viral trends on digital platforms such as TikTok, prompting young consumers to purchase them to maintain social engagement. This marketing evolution not only boosts profit margins for commercial enterprises but also fuels local economic activity.

Furthermore, innovative advertising enables companies to differentiate their products in highly saturated markets. Many consumer goods share identical core ingredients or functionality; consequently, businesses must employ creative branding and compelling nomenclature to capture public attention. Far from misleading consumers, this strategy provides buyers with clearer choices tailored to their specific lifestyle preferences.

Taking all evidence into consideration, the practice of continuously revamping product presentation is a positive commercial trend. It enables businesses to expand their market reach while offering consumers greater awareness and choice in an increasingly competitive marketplace.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing why businesses emphasize new products and offering a clear personal perspective that this is a positive development. Ideas are supported with relevant examples, such as fast-food chains using social media campaigns like TikTok to target younger demographics. However, the response has a significant drawback regarding length. As noted in the instructions, the text contains 220 words, which falls short of the 250-word minimum requirement for Task 2. This under-length limitation restricts the full development of ideas, preventing the essay from reaching higher bands. Consequently, the task achievement is constrained to a Band 6.0 due to the length penalty, despite the clear position and relevant examples provided.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Information and ideas are coherently structured, starting with a clear introduction that outlines the writer's stance, followed by well-defined body paragraphs, and concluding with a summary. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each body paragraph dedicated to a distinct supporting point. Cohesive devices are employed with reasonable flexibility, utilizing transition phrases such as 'To commence with', 'As a direct consequence', and 'Furthermore' to connect ideas smoothly. Referencing is generally clear throughout the text, allowing the reader to follow the argument effortlessly. This performance aligns comfortably with the descriptors for a Band 7.0 in coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, attempting several less common lexical items with some awareness of style and collocation, such as 'dynamic market', 'youth culture', 'saturated markets', and 'lifestyle preferences'. There are occasional minor lexical infelicities, such as the grammatical slip 'represents a overwhelmingly positive development' (instead of 'an overwhelmingly'), but overall the vocabulary choices are effective and do not impede communication. The use of precise commercial terminology like 'commercial enterprises', 'profit margins', and 'consumer demand' elevates the tone of the writing. These strengths and minor limitations place the lexical resource firmly within the Band 7.0 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay exhibits a good variety of complex structures alongside simpler sentence forms, successfully employing subordinate clauses and participial phrases, such as 'prompting young consumers to purchase them to maintain social engagement' and 'Taking all evidence into consideration'. There are frequent error-free sentences, and the overall control of grammar and punctuation is strong. The single noticeable error is the article choice 'a overwhelmingly' in the introduction, but this is an isolated slip rather than a systemic weakness. The punctuation is accurate, and the syntactic variety supports the flow of ideas. This grammatical control fully satisfies the criteria for Band 7.0.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.