Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-09

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 7.0)

In the contemporary world, advertisements play a crucial role in our day-to-day lives. Some individuals claim that advertising is highly effective in persuading people to purchase products or services. On the other hand, others believe that advertisements have become so common nowadays that people tend to pay less attention to them. This essay will discuss both views and present my opinion.

To begin with, advertising can create desire and influence people's emotions. Companies promote their products on television, YouTube, Instagram, websites, newspapers and other platforms to encourage consumers to make purchases, even when they may not originally need a particular product. For instance, a person might consider buying a head massager, despite not actually needing one at that particular time. However, repeated advertisements can highlight the potential benefits of the product and eventually persuade that person to make an unnecessary purchase. This demonstrates how marketing campaigns can appeal to human emotions and create a desire for products that consumers may not genuinely require.

Conversely, excessive advertising can reduce its overall effectiveness because people are exposed to promotional content on a daily basis. When individuals encounter a large number of advertisements every day, they gradually become accustomed to them and may start ignoring them. As a result, promotional messages may have less influence on their purchasing decisions. For example, people using YouTube, Instagram or other websites frequently encounter advertisements between videos or posts. After repeatedly seeing similar promotional content, they may simply skip these advertisements without paying attention to them. Therefore, excessive exposure to advertising can make consumers less responsive to marketing campaigns and reduce their ability to attract people's attention.

In conclusion, advertisements can effectively influence people's emotions and create a desire to purchase products, including items that they may not actually need. However, excessive exposure to promotional content can cause people to become accustomed to advertisements and ignore them. In my opinion, advertising remains an effective marketing tool, but its success largely depends on how frequently and creatively it is presented.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt effectively. You have clearly discussed both perspectives—the persuasive power of advertising and the phenomenon of consumer desensitization—and provided a clear personal opinion in the conclusion. The ideas are well-developed with relevant examples, such as the mention of 'head massagers' and the ubiquity of ads on platforms like YouTube and Instagram. To reach a higher band, ensure that your personal opinion is more explicitly integrated into the introduction or woven throughout the body paragraphs, rather than appearing primarily in the final paragraph, to ensure a more consistent position throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central topic, and you use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with,' 'Conversely,' and 'As a result' effectively to guide the reader. The transition between the two opposing views is smooth. The paragraphing is appropriate, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. To improve further, you could experiment with a wider variety of cohesive devices or more sophisticated referencing to link sentences even more tightly, though the current structure is already very clear and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic task. Phrases like 'contemporary world,' 'promotional content,' and 'purchasing decisions' are used accurately. You also attempt some less common collocations, such as 'excessive exposure' and 'marketing campaigns.' While the vocabulary is sufficient and precise, it remains somewhat functional. To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more sophisticated, topic-specific vocabulary or idiomatic expressions that sound more natural and academic, such as 'ubiquitous nature of advertising' or 'consumer skepticism.'

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

Your grammar is strong, with a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures. The sentences are generally error-free, and your control of punctuation is excellent. You use complex structures effectively, such as 'even when they may not originally need a particular product' and 'After repeatedly seeing similar promotional content, they may simply skip these advertisements.' There are no significant errors that impede communication. To reach the highest band, ensure you consistently use a wider variety of complex grammatical forms, such as inversion or conditional structures, to demonstrate greater flexibility.

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