Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-31

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)

New ways of advertising are been used by companies to sell their products. This tendency is focus on the innovation that they say they are offering. In this essay we are going to discuss the cause and the positivie development it may have.

The main explanation for this trend is that they want to differentiate themselves from the competition. This is because there is a wide selection of the same products. In order to stand out, they are emphasising that their products are new in a certain way. For instance, technology companies such as Apple, put on the market new iphones every year and they claim it is an improvement from the previus ones. This is because hey have a new gadget or function. Therefore, businesses are emphasising that their products are new in some way due to marketing strategies.

This is a positive development because we live in a globalized world and we are consistently evolving, so new strategies are key to keep the businesses running. For example, if one shop sells analogue watches an the other one sells digital watches that can be sincronice with cellphones, the latter would have more sales. This is because it would call the atention of more consumers. Consecuently, those companies that differentiate from the competition may have better results.

Overall, this trend is driven by a sense of differentiation marked by a context of globalization. I believe it could increase companie's sales and have a positive development in the near future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the question: you explain that businesses highlight novelty to distinguish themselves from competitors, and you clearly state that you see this as positive. The Apple example and the comparison between analogue and digital watches are relevant, but the explanation of the benefits remains fairly general; for instance, you say innovation helps businesses keep running without explaining its wider effects on consumers or society. The conclusion restates your view but adds little development. The response is also below the required 250 words: 241 words, with the eight words copied from the prompt excluded. To strengthen the response, develop the reasons and consequences more fully and add a specific supporting detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, one paragraph explaining the trend, one presenting your view, and a conclusion. The main ideas generally progress logically, and linking phrases such as “For instance,” “Therefore,” and “Overall” help signal relationships. However, some connections are repetitive or mechanical: “This is because” appears several times, and the final sentence of the first body paragraph repeats the point about marketing strategies rather than advancing it. The reference in “the latter” is understandable, though the watch comparison could be linked more explicitly to your argument about innovation. Use a wider range of transitions and make each sentence add a distinct step to the reasoning.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “differentiate,” “competition,” “innovation,” “globalized,” and “consumers,” so the main ideas are communicated. There are also noticeable spelling and word-choice problems, such as “positivie,” “previus,” “sincronice,” “atention,” and “Consecuently.” Some expressions are imprecise or unnatural, including “new ways of advertising” when you mean promoting products as new, and “call the attention of more consumers.” These issues limit precision and make the language less natural, although the intended meaning is usually clear. Check spelling carefully and build more accurate collocations, for example, “attract consumers’ attention” and “differentiate a product from its competitors.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses with “because” and “if,” and most of the argument remains understandable. However, some errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction are evident. For example, “are been used” should be “are being used,” and “This tendency is focus” needs a correctly formed verb phrase, such as “This tendency focuses.” In “Apple, put on the market,” the subject–verb construction and punctuation are faulty; “Apple puts new iPhones on the market” would be clearer. There are also missing or incorrect small grammatical words in “an the other one.” Review verb forms and sentence boundaries, then proofread for articles and agreement while continuing to use varied sentence patterns.

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