Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-15

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In some countries owning a home rather than renting one is very important for people. Why might this be the case? Do you think this is a positive or negative situation?

Student answer (Band 6.0)

Companies often emphasize that their products are new or newly developed. The main reason for this is that many consumers want to purchase the latest models every year. Some people constantly seek new products because they become bored with using the same model for a long period of time. In addition, purchasing the latest products can give consumers a sense of achievement and allow them to demonstrate their social status to others.

There are also several reasons why companies continually introduce new models. Firstly, businesses need to remain competitive and maintain their position in the market. If a company fails to update its products, consumers may lose interest in the brand and move towards its competitors. Secondly, companies use the idea of novelty extensively in advertising, particularly on social media, to attract consumers' attention. In some cases, manufacturers make only minor changes, such as altering the colour, size or design of a product. Nevertheless, these small modifications can create curiosity and encourage people to purchase the latest version. For example, companies such as Apple and Samsung regularly introduce new smartphone models, partly in response to consumer demand.

In my opinion, this is a negative development when companies introduce products that offer little genuine improvement. If a new model is of poor quality or is considerably more expensive than its predecessor, consumers may eventually lose trust in the brand. Furthermore, constantly replacing products can reduce their perceived value and encourage unnecessary consumption. People may purchase a new product once because of effective advertising, but they may not be willing to buy future models if they discover that the differences are insignificant.

Therefore, describing a product as "new" is beneficial only when it provides meaningful improvements or exceptional features. For instance, some motorcycle manufacturers introduce new models every year with only minor modifications. If these changes do not improve performance, safety or reliability, customers may become dissatisfied and gradually lose confidence in the company. Overall, companies should focus on genuine innovation rather than simply creating the impression that an old product is new.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.5

The candidate has written an essay that completely misses the prompt's core topic. While the prompt explicitly asks about owning a home rather than renting and why this is important in some countries, the student writes entirely about consumer goods, product marketing, and companies releasing new smartphone and motorcycle models. Because the response is completely off-topic regarding the specific subject matter of homeownership versus renting, it cannot achieve a satisfactory score for Task Achievement. The ideas presented are well-developed in terms of marketing strategies and consumer behavior, but they do not answer the actual task set. Consequently, the score reflects a failure to address the prompt's requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

Despite the major off-topic content, the structural integrity of the essay is actually quite strong. The text is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central theme. The introduction introduces the discussion on new products, body paragraphs explore consumer and corporate motivations, and the conclusion summarizes the viewpoint. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'In addition', and 'Nevertheless' are used appropriately to link ideas and guide the reader through the text. Referencing is clear, and the paragraphing is logical. If the content had matched the prompt, this organization would easily secure a much higher band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The lexical resource displayed throughout the essay is generally good, demonstrating an adequate to wide range of vocabulary appropriate for discussing business, marketing, and consumer trends. The student successfully incorporates terms such as 'competitiveness', 'manufacturers', 'predecessor', 'insignificant', and 'exceptional features'. Word choice is mostly accurate, and spelling is correct. While there is a reliance on common vocabulary in places, the attempt to use more sophisticated terms related to commerce is evident. The lexical control is strong, suffering only from a lack of topic-specific vocabulary related to housing and real estate due to the misunderstanding of the prompt.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The grammatical range and accuracy of the writing are quite solid. The candidate demonstrates a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, utilizing subordinate clauses and participial phrases effectively (e.g., 'If a company fails to update its products, consumers may lose interest...'). The majority of sentences are grammatically sound, with good punctuation control. Errors are very infrequent and do not impede communication at all. Control over verb tenses, modals, and conditional structures is consistent and accurate throughout the 341 words provided.

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