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)

Several individuals ask that advertisement is mainly successful at persuading us to purchase things. Other argue that people do not pay heed to advertisements. In my opinion advertising things help us alot in buying things as it provides us information about authentic and bogus websites without going outside of our room.

On one hand, many people think that advertisements are beneficial as it helps us to makeup mind for buying things. Additionally it gives us information about the authenticity of the products through public reviews as we can understand how the desired product works. It also makes shopping reliable and easy because individuals can make purchase by using a specific website on their mobile phones and other portal devices. Hence, it helps in shopping without wasting time and money on commuties.

However, some people argue that advertising things has become so common that nobody pays attention to them. With the advancement in the technology many people makes fake advertisements which mainly affects the demand for original products. Individuals makes purchase from fraudulent websites and get fake things which reduces the attention of people towards original products. Hence, people believe that it has become a usual act and no body pays heed to it.

In my opinion, advertisements play a very important role in buying things because people from any corner of the world get access to their desired products by getting in touch with the original websites through their advertisements.

Overall, advancement in technology has increased the attention of individuals towards buying things online which is a positive thing and will rise in the future.

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 you mention that advertisements provide information, the explanation of why people might ignore them is slightly confused with the issue of fraudulent websites rather than the psychological concept of 'ad blindness' or 'banner blindness'. To improve, ensure your arguments directly address the prompt's core concepts. For example, instead of focusing on fraud, you could discuss how the sheer volume of daily advertisements leads to consumer desensitization. The position is consistent, but the supporting arguments could be more nuanced to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'However', and 'Additionally' to link ideas. However, the transition between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the flow within paragraphs could be smoother. For instance, the jump from discussing fake advertisements to the conclusion about online shopping is a bit abrupt. Using a wider range of cohesive devices and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one would improve the overall progression of your argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some relevant terms like 'authenticity', 'fraudulent', and 'advancement'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'ask that advertisement is' (should be 'argue that advertising is') and 'makeup mind' (should be 'make up our minds'). To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary and ensure that collocations are natural. Avoid repetitive phrasing like 'buying things' and 'advertisement' by using synonyms like 'purchasing goods' or 'promotional material'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('many people makes', 'Individuals makes') and article usage ('the advancement in the technology'). These errors are noticeable but do not significantly impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles. Incorporating more varied complex structures, such as conditional sentences or passive voice, would also help demonstrate a wider grammatical range.

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.