Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-02

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 7.0)

Nowadays, advertisement means when a product or service is showcased in front of the public. If we look at modern ads, companies almost always emphasis that their products are new. There are a few reasons for this, but overall, I think it is a negative development.

First of all, the main reason businesses focus on newness is to capture their designated market. Earlier, even basic advertisement helped in selling the product because there was way less competition. But today, the market is very crowded. People naturally like novelty and want to buy the latest version of everything. Because of this high competition, companies put a "new" tag on their items to capture customer attention quickly. It creates a sense of urgency, which helps them sell more and make a profit, even if the actual product has not changed much.

However, I strongly believe this is a negative development for consumers. The biggest problem is that it makes people buy things they do not really need. When customers see claims of a new formula or a recent upgrade on a billboard or TV, they feel their current items are outdated. This leads to continuous and unnecessary spending. Furthermore, companies are often just making small changes. Instead of real innovation, they might just change the packaging or colour and sell it as a new breakthrough.

Finally, this trend is very harmful to the environment. Because people throw away perfectly good items just to buy the newest model, it creates a huge amount of waste.

In conclusion, companies advertise their products as new mainly to stand out and survive in a tough market. I view this as a negative trend because it tricks people into wasting money and creates environmental damage without offering real improvements.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both why businesses emphasise that products are new and whether this development is positive or negative. A clear position is maintained throughout the essay. The reasons provided are generally relevant, such as capturing the designated market and environmental impact, which aligns with expectations for this level. However, some ideas show a tendency toward over-generalisation and could benefit from further extension. For instance, the point about companies making small changes instead of real innovation is introduced in the third paragraph but is not fully illustrated with a specific example, which prevents the response from reaching a higher band. Overall, the main tenets of the prompt are covered adequately with clear supporting arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, moving smoothly from an introduction to reasons, negative consequences, environmental impact, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'However', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader through the argument. Paragraphing is managed sufficiently and appropriately, reflecting a logical framework. While referencing and substitution are generally clear, occasional mechanical transitions indicate that cohesion could be handled even more flexibly to attain the highest standards. The overall structure remains coherent and easy to follow from beginning to end.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, permitting some flexibility and precision with terms such as 'designate market', 'novelty', 'sense of urgency', and 'environmental damage'. There are attempts to use less common items with an awareness of style and collocation, such as 'continuous and unnecessary spending' and 'real innovation'. However, minor lexical inaccuracies appear, such as writing 'emphasis' instead of the verb 'emphasise' or 'advertisement means when' rather than 'advertising refers to'. These occasional errors in word choice do not impede communication, allowing the reader to easily grasp the intended meaning, and show a solid foundation characteristic of this band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

The response makes use of a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating a good control of grammar and punctuation. There is a variety of complex structures deployed effectively, such as 'When customers see claims of a new formula or a recent upgrade on a billboard or TV, they feel their current items are outdated.' While there are some minor errors in grammar and article usage, such as omitting necessary articles or minor prepositional slips, frequent error-free sentences are produced. Punctuation is generally well managed, and errors rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to navigate the text smoothly while showcasing a competent command of sentence architecture.

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