Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-09

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Nowadays it's possible for people to buy many products or pay for treatments that help them to look younger.

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 8.0)

In recent times, it has become feasible for individuals to purchase expensive anti-aging products and afford beauty treatments, which may create a youthful appearance. In my view, it is a negative development as such products and treatments not only result in unrealistic expectations among consumers but also have detrimental side effects in the long run.

The primary reason is that such treatments make consumers acquire unrealistic expectations about their appearance. Since they are not equally effective on everyone and the results may vary from person to person, many individuals struggle to accept their true aging features and further seek more expensive products and treatments. Moreover, those who get some positive results anticipate that they will retain their youthful appearance for a long time; however, this is far from the reality as the results are usually short-term. Thus, most of the treatments which promote age reversal negatively affect the psychological health of the consumers.

Another significant factor is that numerous anti-aging products are tested on animals during the research phase before being launched in the market for human use. It showcases the animal cruelty behind this beauty industry, which is a serious ethical concern, and should be discouraged by the society. In addition, many scientific studies have identified toxic ingredients in such products which are harmful to humans. For example, death investigation of a bollywood actress revealed that the stroke was caused by the Glutathione treatment she was receiving for anti-aging purposes. Thus, anti-aging products and treatments have serious consequences on animals' and humans' health.

In conclusion, many anti-aging products and treatments are associated with false expectations, unethical animal testing and deleterious effects on humans. Therefore, blindly chasing products and treatments to look younger is negative for both consumers and the society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The response fully addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the trend is negative. The arguments are well-developed, focusing on psychological impacts and ethical/health concerns. The inclusion of a specific example regarding the dangers of certain treatments adds depth to the argument. The position is consistent throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively summarizes the main points. The response meets all requirements of the task, providing a balanced and logical progression of ideas that directly answers the question of whether this is a good or bad thing.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two distinct body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'The primary reason is that', 'Moreover', 'In addition', and 'Therefore' are used effectively to guide the reader through the argument. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a central theme. The progression of ideas is smooth, and referencing is clear throughout the text. The use of transition signals is natural and contributes to the overall flow of the essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

The vocabulary is varied and appropriate for the topic. The student uses sophisticated collocations and terms such as 'unrealistic expectations', 'detrimental side effects', 'age reversal', and 'deleterious effects'. There is a good level of precision in word choice, and the language is natural. While the vocabulary is strong, it stops just short of the 'wide range of less common items' required for a band 9, but it is clearly above band 7 due to the accurate and flexible use of topic-specific terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The essay demonstrates a good range of complex structures, such as conditional-like constructions ('if they are not equally effective...') and relative clauses. The majority of sentences are error-free, and the control of grammar and punctuation is strong. There are very few minor slips, such as 'discouraged by the society' (should be 'by society') and 'death investigation of a bollywood actress' (should be 'the death of a Bollywood actress'). These are rare and do not impede communication, reflecting a high level of grammatical control.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.