Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-06
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)
In this modern world, advertisements for products have become so common that every retailer thinks that their products receive fewer sales unless they advertise it. It is the thing that urges people to buy products. Since it has become so widespread, people don't pay attention to it anymore. The argument that advertisement influences a lot of people to buy products is a subject that is both supported and refuted. This essay will analyze this argument before declaring a position.
Advertisement has become an essential marketing tool as it encourages people to purchase items by introducing them, helps goods to become successful, uses discounts and attractive images on social media. Firstly, introduction of things helps a lot to improve its selling rate. Secondly, publicity is the key to making the product successful worldwide. It can take the form of brochures or social media posts as well. Finally, advertisements often use substantial discounts, limited time offers, stunning pictures, and celebrities to persuade people to buy products. Therefore, advertisers influence people to buy products by giving introduction of goods and using discounts.
However, some people argue that they ignore advertisements because they happen frequently. People are exposed to numerous advertisements every day. As a result, they ignore them because they do not have sufficient time to pay attention to each one. Moreover, some people use ad blockers to block the advertisements ads or skip them on YouTube simply. Premium users also don’t watch any type of ads. Furthermore, customers trust reviews more than advertisements. For instance, a user who wants to buy a product directly goes to the review section and check other’s opinion there rather than advertisement of that product. Thus, the widespread presence of advertisements has led many people to ignore them by skipping them, using adblockers, and subscribing to premium services.
To sum up, although advertisements are ignored by some people because they have become too common, I firmly believe that they continue to play crucial role in influencing consumers and increasing product sales.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of ad blockers and social media marketing. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, the explanation of why advertisements are ignored could be more deeply explored beyond just listing tools like ad blockers. The position is consistent throughout, but the essay would benefit from more nuanced analysis to reach a higher band. Overall, it is a solid response that fulfills the requirements of the task.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the two opposing views. Cohesive devices are present, such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Moreover', and 'To sum up', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between sentences could be smoother in the second body paragraph. The progression of ideas is logical, and the essay maintains a coherent structure from start to finish.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'marketing tool', 'ad blockers', and 'premium services'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a tendency to repeat words like 'products' and 'advertisements' frequently. Some collocations are slightly unnatural, such as 'giving introduction of goods'. To improve, the student should aim for more varied synonyms and more sophisticated phrasing to demonstrate a wider lexical range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips. For instance, 'every retailer thinks that their products receive fewer sales unless they advertise it' (should be 'them') and 'check other’s opinion' (should be 'others''). There are also minor issues with articles and pluralization, such as 'advertisements ads'. Despite these errors, the grammar does not impede communication. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on reducing these minor errors and incorporating a greater variety of complex grammatical structures with more precision.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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