Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-25

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 6.0)

It is widely recognized that businesses nowadays are putting more emphasis on advertising that their products are new in some way. This essay will first explore the reasons behind this which mainly is gaining customer attention, before arguing that it is fundamentally a negative development.

Answering the first question, the primary reason for advertising focusing on new aspects of the products is catching the focus of consumers. The sole purpose of advertising is to hook the customer and make him think about purchasing the product. This is driven by the fact that companies nowadays are advertising small changes as big advancement leaps which in turn wants the customer to upgrade to the latest generation product even though they don't really need it. A clear illustration of this involves major television companies like TCL and Xiaomi, which advertises small improvements such as HDR10 and Dolby Atmos sound as major upgrade to convince people to buy these latest TV's.

Regarding the overall impact of this trend, i believe it to be highly detrimental. The main justification for this is that individuals purchase the new product without feeling its need. Not only this, it also pushes the old consumers to upgrade to the latest product which makes it a financial burden. Customers spend a large sum of money just to get the same product with few added benefits, A clear demonstration of this effect is the release of new iPhone by Apple every year on which people spend thousand of dollars just to get a few technical upgrades which are not worth that much money.

In conclusion, the phenomenon of advertising a small change as big one is done my big companies to attract the focus and attention of potential new buyers. Furthermore, I consider this to be a wholly negative trend as it can become a financial burden and companies should focus on making quality new products rather than advertising small changes as major developments.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing why businesses emphasise that their products are new and evaluating whether this is a positive or negative development. The writer takes a clear position from the introduction onwards, stating that the trend is driven by a desire to gain consumer attention and arguing that it is ultimately a negative development. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as mentioning TCL, Xiaomi, and Apple to illustrate how minor updates are marketed as major leaps. While some explanations occasionally tend toward generalisation, the task is fully covered, meeting the criteria for a solid Band 7 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. The response is divided into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing each part of the prompt in turn, and a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices are used adequately to guide the reader through the arguments, such as 'Answering the first question', 'Regarding the overall impact', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and transitions are sometimes slightly mechanical, and pronoun usage can be a bit repetitive ('the product', 'the latest product'). Overall, cohesion is well managed, supporting a clear progression of ideas worthy of a Band 7 score.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, allowing for some flexibility and precision with terms such as 'detrimental', 'financial burden', and 'technical upgrades'. There are successful attempts to use less common items and specific domain vocabulary related to technology and consumerism (e.g., 'HDR10', 'Dolby Atmos', 'upgrade'). However, there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing, such as 'advertising that their products are new' instead of 'advertising their products as new', and 'catching the focus' instead of 'catching the attention'. Spelling is generally accurate, placing this response firmly in the Band 6.0 category.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an ability to construct multi-clause sentences with relative clauses and subordinate structures (e.g., 'This is driven by the fact that companies nowadays are advertising small changes as big advancement leaps which in turn wants...'). However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward structures present, such as 'which mainly is gaining', subject-verb agreement issues ('companies... advertises'), and missing articles ('feeling its need', 'release of new iPhone'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the grammar score from reaching Band 7.

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