Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-12
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)
Most people say that advertising is mostly successful at persuading us to buy items. But other people think that we no longer pay any heed to it. In this essay i will discuss my opinion in detail.
First of all, a lot of advertisement is common nowadays especially ads related to news, brands, make-up products and many more . And i completely agree with the statement that advertisement has become so common practice and seen nearly on any social media post that people try to ignore it because it sometimes it has nothing to do with their interests.
For instance, banner blindness a phenomenon where users tune out online display ads. this is as a result of limited attention spans and goal oriented browsing habits. Ads are often ignored because they interfere with the content the user is trying to consume.
Secondly , there is the reason were the users become desensitized bit by bit. for example, desensitization by the oversaturation of adds is another reason. Which makes it difficult for users to notice or engage with those adds.
Furthermore, some individuals think that advertisement has become extremely successful in targeting a certain audience by providing customized adds that prevent the cases of banner blindness or desensitization.
In conclusion, both views have authentic reasoning and clear points. Even though most people believe that advertisement has a lot of influence i am of the conclusion that them getting ignored is the major problem with advertisement companies in my opinion as compared to the view point before it.
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 essay addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the concept of 'banner blindness' is well-explained, the argument regarding the success of advertising is underdeveloped, relying on a brief mention of 'customized ads' without sufficient elaboration or examples. The conclusion is a bit repetitive and lacks a strong summary of the main points. To reach a higher band, ensure that both sides of the argument are explored with equal depth and that your personal opinion is integrated more naturally into the body paragraphs rather than just the introduction and conclusion.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is a logical progression of ideas, moving from the prevalence of ads to the phenomenon of ignoring them. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'First of all', 'Secondly', 'Furthermore'). Some transitions between sentences are abrupt, such as the jump between the definition of banner blindness and the explanation of why it occurs. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the flow and coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some good topic-specific terms like 'banner blindness', 'desensitized', and 'oversaturation'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and repetition, such as using 'ads' or 'advertisement' repeatedly. The phrase 'nothing to do with their interests' is a bit informal for an academic essay. To improve, try to incorporate more varied synonyms and collocations, such as 'marketing campaigns', 'consumer engagement', or 'targeted advertising', and ensure that word forms are used correctly throughout the text.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'a lot of advertisement is common' (should be 'advertisements are'), 'the reason were the users' (should be 'where'), and 'them getting ignored' (awkward phrasing). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some missing commas and incorrect capitalization of 'i'. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the message, they are frequent enough to limit the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and refining sentence structure will help improve accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.