Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-13
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)
INFLUENCE OF ADVERTISING ON THE PEOPLE IS OF GREAT DEBATE ESPECIALLY IN THIS ERA OF TECHNOLOGY.A GREAT NUMBER OF COMPANIES HAVE TOUCHED THE HEIGHT OF FAME AND SUCCESS BEACUSE OF ADVERTISING. HOWEVER, EVERY INDIVIDUAL HAS DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS ABOUT ADVERTISING. ACCORDING TO CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS, THE RIGHT MARKETIMG OF ITEMS ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO BUY THEM. THE REASN FOR THIS IS THE IDEA BEHIND THE PRODUCT FAME. IT IS MARKETED AS SOMETHING ESSENTIAL FOR PEOPLE AND FOCUSES ON THE PSYCHOLOGY OF INDIVIDUALS TO PROMOTE THE SALES. CONVERSELY, A GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS DO NOT ABIDE BY THIS NOTION. THEIR PERSPECTIVE IS THAT ADVERTISING HAS BECOME SO FREQUENT THAT NOW A DAYS PEOPLE DO NOT PAY ATTENTION TOWARDS THE MARKETING OF THE PRODUCRS. IN OTHER WORDS, THE PERSUASION POWER OF ADVERTISING HAS DETERRED IN A COUPLE OF YEARS. AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED, I SUPPORT THE LATER POINT O VIEW. GONE ARE THE DAYS WHEN PEOPLE USED TO TRUST INFLIUENCERS AND CELEBRITIES AND BUY THE THINGS O THEIR RECOMENDATION. IN TODAY`S WORLD A LARGE AMOUNT OF TIME IS SPENT BY PEOPLE ON RESEARCH. INDIVIDUALS DO NOT JUST RELY ON RECOMMENDATIONS AND ADVERTISEMENTS, THEY SPENT A GREAT AMOUNT ON TIME STUDYING ABOUT THE THINGS OF THEIR INTEREST. THEREFORE, ADVERTISING HAS REDUCED IT POTENTIAL. MOREOVER, DUE TO THE ADVANCEMENTS IN TECHNOLOGY, PEOPLE CAN CONNECT WITH INDIVIDUALS DFROM ALL OVER THE WORLD, AND GET SUGGESTIONS AS WELL AS REVIEWS OF PRTICULAR PRODUCTS. SO THEY DO NOT BLINDLY RELY ON ADVERTISMENTS. NEVERTHELESS, THERE ARE INDIVIDUALS WHO PREFER ADVERTISEMENTS AND ARE PERSUADED BY THAT. BUT THOSE INDIVIDUALS HAVE INSIGNIFICANT NUMBER. TO CONCLUDE, ADERTISING HAD A GREAT INFLUENCE ON INDIVIDUALS A FEW YEARS AGO. HOWEVER, TODAY THE SITUATION HAS CHANGED AND PEOPLE DO NOT FULLY RELAY ON IT.
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 both views and provides a clear personal position. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of consumer research and the role of technology in product reviews. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding why advertising is successful is quite brief, focusing only on 'product fame' and 'psychology' without specific examples. Similarly, the discussion on why people ignore ads could be more deeply explored. While the task is fully addressed, the depth of support for the arguments is consistent with a band 6.0, as the ideas are relevant but could be extended further to reach a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for each view, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'However', 'Conversely', 'In other words', and 'Therefore'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly repetitive. The transition between ideas is generally clear, but the flow could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and better referencing to connect sentences more fluidly. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the overall progression of ideas feels somewhat predictable rather than sophisticated.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'deterred', 'notion', and 'insignificant'. However, there are several spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'MARKETIMG', 'REASN', 'PRODUCRS', 'LATER' (for latter), 'INFLIUENCERS', 'RECOMENDATION', 'PRTICULAR', 'ADVERTISMENTS', and 'RELAY' (for rely). These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable, though they do not impede overall communication. To improve, the student should focus on proofreading for common spelling mistakes and expanding their range of collocations.
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 'INFLUENCE OF ADVERTISING ON THE PEOPLE IS OF GREAT DEBATE' (missing article), 'THEY SPENT A GREAT AMOUNT ON TIME' (preposition error), and 'ADVERTISING HAS REDUCED IT POTENTIAL' (possessive pronoun error). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some missing spaces after periods and incorrect use of backticks instead of apostrophes (e.g., 'TODAY`S'). While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. A greater focus on subject-verb agreement and article usage is recommended.
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.