Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-01

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)

Businesses today, mainly focus on marketing the uniqueness of their products as compared to the other products available in the market. Although this sounds unintentional, there is in fact a lot of logic into why this is done. The following essay discusses why I believe this is a positive development rather than a negative one.

It is difficult for businesses to sustain their business for longer durations if they cannot grab the attention of their consumers regularly. The solution to this problem is by marketing the product while highlighting its uniqueness. In doing so, companies are forced to come up with new and better ideas to improve their product quality. This leads to the overall sales and growth of an industry. In some situations, this can be difficult to achieve; for instance, medical or healthcare products ( band aids, tablets, etc ) cannot be improved after a certain level, at such times companies shift their focus on advertising the colours available, the number of influential people using their products, etc.

Moreover, to remain relevant and mark growth companies have to advertise their why their service or product is rare. I believe this is tough to achieve, but at the same time forces the companies to work harder. It provides opportunities for development as well as brings the best quality of product ahead. Companies that put in efforts into doing their best, in return gain more number of sales. In constrast, companies that fail to do so lose their clientale. Although, it is necessary that while showcasing their product's newness, companies maintain honesty and accuracy in details. I believe it is a positive development, if not mishandled by the people in authority.

In conclusion, I can firmly say that companies should take advertising as an opportunity for their product's overall growth rather than just a task to achieve.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the main parts of the task by discussing why businesses emphasize that their products are new and whether this is a positive or negative development, expressing a clear position. However, some ideas are limited and under-developed. For instance, the explanation of how healthcare products shift advertising focus is somewhat brief and lacks full extension. While the position is visible, the development of arguments tends to skim the surface rather than thoroughly exploring the implications of constant novelty in advertising. To reach the next level, the ideas need to be more fully extended and supported with deeper analysis and more detailed examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some basic organization with a discernible introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion, but overall progression is occasionally lacking. The flow between sentences can feel abrupt, and cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or repetitive, such as the use of 'Moreover' and 'Although' to transition thoughts. Paragraphing is present, but internal logical transitions within paragraphs could be smoother to establish a clearer progression of ideas throughout the essay. To improve, the writer needs to ensure that referencing is always clear and that cohesive devices are used more flexibly to link ideas naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is minimally adequate for the task, providing enough range to convey the basic message. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'sustain', 'uniqueness', and 'relevant', but these attempts are accompanied by noticeable inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as writing 'mark growth companies have to advertise their why' and 'gain more number of sales' instead of 'higher sales volume'. There are also occasional word choice and spelling errors, such as 'constrast' instead of 'contrast' and 'clientale' instead of 'clientele'. These minor issues do not completely impede communication, but they restrict the score. To progress, a wider and more precise range of vocabulary with correct collocation is required.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The text displays a limited range of structures, featuring a mix of simple sentences alongside attempts at complex forms that are frequently faulty. There are several grammatical errors regarding prepositions and sentence structure, such as 'there is in fact a lot of logic into why this is done' instead of 'in', and awkward phrasing like 'advertise their why their service or product is rare'. Punctuation and article usage also show occasional lapses, such as missing articles before plural or singular nouns. While these errors rarely completely obscure the meaning, their frequency pulls the grammar down. Incorporating a wider variety of complex sentence patterns with improved accuracy will help elevate the writing.

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