Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-07

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 people believe that advertising has a great impact on us and lure us into purchasing things while to others it is very common that they no longer pay attention to it. Both the views will be discussed in the essay before stating my own opinion.

Nowadays there are hundreds of options to advertise a product such as Ad films, hoardings, pamphlets, newspapers and above all : social media. This generation has made promoting things much more entertaining and creative. They represent the whole idea in such a convincing way that the viewers feel the urgency to buy things irrespective of its need. For instance, the hype of an hair dryer named Dyson among the female crowd is beyond imagination. Usually it works just as normal as any other hair dryer, but its luxurious branding and attractive presentation results into their increased sales.

Unlikely to it, there are people who do not believe in over showcasing publicity or any other marketing strategy. After a certain period of time, people normalise these ads and stop paying attention. One of the major cause for it is excessive advertising. People face overload on social media apps like Instagram and Facebook. Every second an ad pops up promoting one or the other service or product. For example, while watching news on YouTube, an advertising video shows up between the news from nowhere every 5 - 10 minutes resulting in frustration and ignorance.

Hence, I believe that over advertising leads people to have less interest in products, resulting in wasted marketing potential.

AI examiner evaluation

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 limited. While the first body paragraph provides a relevant example regarding the Dyson hair dryer, the second body paragraph relies on personal observation rather than broader analysis. The conclusion is quite brief and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented. To reach a higher band, you should aim to expand on the implications of these advertising trends more thoroughly. The position is clear throughout, but the depth of the discussion could be improved by exploring the psychological impact of advertising in more detail.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'For instance' and 'Hence', to link your points. However, the transition between the introduction and the first body paragraph is slightly abrupt. Additionally, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that the relationship between sentences is more fluid. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the concluding paragraph is underdeveloped, which affects the overall balance of the essay structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'persuading', 'urgency', and 'marketing potential'. There are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'over showcasing publicity' and 'results into their increased sales', which should be 'results in'. While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, the precision is occasionally lacking. To achieve a higher score, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and ensuring that your word choices are contextually accurate. Expanding your range of topic-specific vocabulary related to consumer behavior would also be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'irrespective of its need' (should be 'their need' to agree with 'things') and 'One of the major cause' (should be 'causes'). Punctuation is generally functional, though there is an unnecessary space before the colon in the second paragraph. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of plural nouns. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while maintaining accuracy will also help.

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