Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-22

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 the contemporary commercial landscape, a ubiquitous trend in advertising is the emphasis on novelty, with businesses constantly presenting their products as 'new', 'improved', or 'revolutionary'. This essay will explore the underlying reasons for this phenomenon-primarily intense market competition and human psychology- and argue that, while it stimulates innovation, it is largely a negative development because it fosters a culture of unsustainable consumerism.

There are two primary drivers behind this advertising strategy: fierce market competition and inherent consumer psychology. In most industries, markets are highly saturated, meaning companies must fiercely differentiate themselves to capture market share. Highlighting a "new" feature or formula provides a unique selling proportion that helps a product stand out on crowded shelves. Furthermore, humans are psycologically wired to seek novelty. Consumers often subconsciously associate "new" with progress, superior efficiency, or elevated social status. Consequently, advertisers exploit this desire for the latest trend to trigger impluse purchases.

Regarding weather this is a positive or negative development, I believe it is predominantly nagative, despite some clear advantages. On the positive side, the relentless persuit of novelty drives genuine technological advancement and ecnomic growth. For instance, competition in the tech sector has led to rapid improvements in smartphones cameras, battery life, and processing power, which benefits consumers.

However, the darker side of this trend is its contibution to a "throwaway culture" and severe environmental degradation. When advertising constantly pushes the narrative that the previous version is obsolete, perfectly functional products are prematurely discarded. A prime example is the fast fashion industry, where brands release new collections weekly, encourging consumers to buy cheap clothing that quickly ends up in landfills. Similarly the annual release of slightly upgraded smartphones encourages planned obsolescence, resulting in massive mountains of electronic waste. The cycle depletes natural resources and exacerbates global pollution.

In conclusion, the emphasis on newness in advertising is driven by intense commercial competion and the human desire for the latest innovations. While this trend undoubtedly fuels technological progress, it simultaneously encourges reckless consumption and environmental damage. Therefore, it represents a negative development that necessitates a shift towards more sustainable marketing practices.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response fully addresses all parts of the prompt, investigating both the reasons behind the advertising trend and whether it is a positive or negative development. The student establishes a clear position in the introduction—acknowledging the economic benefits while ultimately arguing that it fosters unsustainable consumerism—and maintains this stance throughout the essay. Ideas are well developed and supported with relevant explanations and examples, such as reference to the fast fashion industry and smartphones. The arguments are logical, persuasive, and directly answer the two-part question without any tangential tangents or omissions. This performance comfortably aligns with Band 7.5 to Band 8.0 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and natural progression throughout. Paragraphing is used effectively, with each body paragraph focusing on a distinct sub-topic, such as the drivers of advertising, the positive aspects, and the negative environmental consequences. Cohesive devices are used flexibly and appropriately, including phrases like 'Regarding weather', 'On the positive side', and 'However'. Although there are minor mechanical errors in cohesion and referencing, the overall progression is smooth and easy to follow. The writer successfully guides the reader from the introduction through the balanced body paragraphs to a concise, summative conclusion, meeting all Band 7 requirements.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision, employing less common items such as 'ubiquitous trend', 'commercial landscape', 'sustainable consumerism', and 'planned obsolescence'. There is a commendable awareness of style and collocation throughout most of the essay. However, there are a few spelling and typographical errors that slightly lower the score, such as 'psycologically' instead of psychologically, 'impluse' instead of impulse, 'weather' instead of whether, 'nagative' instead of negative, 'persuit' instead of pursuit, 'ecnomic' instead of economic, and 'competion' instead of competition. Despite these occasional lexical errors, the vocabulary is adequate and allows the message to be communicated clearly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writer employs a good variety of complex structures alongside simple forms, demonstrating solid control of grammar and punctuation. Sentences such as 'In the contemporary commercial landscape, a ubiquitous trend in advertising is the emphasis on novelty, with businesses constantly presenting their products as 'new', 'improved', or 'revolutionary'' showcase syntactic variety. While there are frequent error-free sentences, a number of spelling slips and minor typographical errors are present across the text. However, these grammatical and mechanical lapses do not impede communication or obscure the writer's meaning. The overall structural control and variety correspond well to the Band 7 criteria.

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