Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-21

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 5.0)

So nowadays, bussinesess usually exphasise that their products are new in some way is because whenever a new thing is launched, people start to compare the new product with the current product they are using and start differenciating that what is new in the product that makes it better than the one they are using, so everytime the companies launch a new product they try their best to improvise the product so that people get more attracted to it and give it a try.I think it's a very positive development to the bussinesses because whenever a new idea came to the market people notices it just by seeing a new enhanced feature,seeing a quality in it that make it a unique product and leaves its presence behind so people will buy it more than once so it is a very good innovation to the bussiness market.For example , i was using the hair conditioner for so long of the same company dove for a long time , then one day when i went for the grocery i saw their hair conditioner of another company garnier so there was written on it that it is a sulfate free conditioner and not only smooth and give shine to the hairs but also reduces hairfall which my old conditioner wasnt offering so by this innovation i got attracted to it and give it a try to this conditioner and hope that if it really work i will buy it again , so the companies little development to the product can really be helpful and advertising it for their bussiness will be helpful.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: why businesses emphasise that their products are new, and whether this is a positive or negative development. The writer presents a clear position that it is a positive development for businesses. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For example, the explanation of why companies advertise new features relies heavily on simple reiteration rather than deep extension. The personal example regarding the Dove and Garnier hair conditioners is relevant and supports the argument, but the response tends to over-generalise and lacks formal academic depth. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, placing it firmly at a Band 5.5 to 6.0 level, leaning towards a 5.5 due to the under-developed nature of the main body arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The entire response is written as a single, extremely long paragraph without any logical paragraph breaks separating the introduction, the discussion of reasons, the evaluation of positive/negative development, and the personal example. This lack of paragraphing severely impairs the overall structural cohesion of the text. Furthermore, sentences are joined by run-on structures and repetitive coordinating conjunctions like 'so' and 'and', such as in '...so everytime the companies launch a new product they try their best to improvise...'. There is no clear logical progression or signposting to guide the reader through distinct stages of the argument. Referencing is also weak, making it difficult to follow the flow of ideas. This meets the criteria for Band 4.5 or 5.0, with Band 5.0 reflecting the basic overall attempt to link ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The lexical resource is limited and basic. The student relies on high-frequency, repetitive vocabulary such as 'new', 'product', 'company', and 'helpful'. There are noticeable spelling errors throughout the text, including 'bussinesess', 'exphasise', 'differenciating', and 'bussiness'. Word choices are sometimes imprecise or incorrect, such as using 'improvise' when 'improve' or 'innovate' is intended, and 'give it a try' multiple times. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey the basic message about advertising and consumer choice, the range is restricted and errors in spelling and word formation occur frequently, restricting the score to Band 5.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

The grammatical range is extremely limited, consisting almost entirely of one massive run-on sentence for the entire body of the text, linked together with excessive comma splices and conjunctions (e.g., '...so everytime the companies launch a new product... and give it a try.I think it's a very positive...'). There is a lack of control over complex sentence structures, and punctuation is largely neglected, missing capitalisation after periods (e.g., 'try.I think', 'Example , i'). Frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('whenever a new idea came', 'the old conditioner wasnt offering'), cause considerable difficulty for the reader and obscure meaning. This corresponds to the Band 4.5 descriptors.

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.