Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-05
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Some people say that advertising is extremely successful at persuading us to buy things. Other people think that advertising is so common that we no longer pay attention to it. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
Many individuals nowadays believe that advertising is very significant and successful and it inclined us towards the products, and some people think that people are not that much interested in watching advertisements because it is very common. This essay will discuss both views before explaining why I believe strong advertising is very successful.
On the one hand, people believe that advertising is very successful for selling their products and convince us to buy that product, because the majority of marketing companies have targeted audiences for their products. For example, most of the toy's marketing has been done on specific cartoon channels, because when kids were watching cartoons on television they just wanted to buy that toy. Moreover, as a result of this marketing strategy, the sales of products will increase.
On the other hand, others think that advertising is very common nowadays and because of that individuals do not pay attention towards ads. Advertising being ignored by many citizens because of wrong algorithms or trying to sell their products without giving proper instruction, since sometimes marketing agencies show ads to a user, who are appropriate. For instance, showing kids products to male audience, even though some companies try to sell their products without showing proper advice on how to use them, this type of problem leads to less public interest.
However, according to my perspective advertising plays a very important role and is very effective for selling products, because nowadays marketing done through social media apps with help of influencers and also ads are very interesting at present because of the creativity.
In conclusion, advertising is significant for sales and it has many beneficial outcomes, and also individuals love to watch ads because they like their taste and others are not interested in watching ads.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The first body paragraph provides a clear example regarding toy marketing, but the second body paragraph is less focused, conflating 'wrong algorithms' with the idea of ads being 'common'. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented. To reach a higher band, ensure that each body paragraph contains a well-developed, distinct argument that directly supports the topic sentence, and provide a more robust conclusion that reflects the depth of the discussion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion' are used to link ideas. However, some transitions are mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second body paragraph where the connection between 'wrong algorithms' and the main argument about ads being 'common' is tenuous. The use of pronouns and referencing could be more precise to improve the flow between sentences.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'inclined' and 'algorithms', but these are sometimes used with slight inaccuracies in collocation or context. For example, 'inclined us towards the products' is not a standard collocation. The range is sufficient to discuss the topic, but more precise and varied vocabulary would be needed to move into the higher bands. Spelling is generally accurate throughout the text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'most of the toy's marketing has been done') and article usage. Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'Advertising being ignored by many citizens because of wrong algorithms'. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on sentence structure variety and proofreading for basic grammatical slips would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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