Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

There is a massive debate between people on if advertising helps a company to sell products or not. In my opinion, advertisements are very successful in persuading people to buy products. Nowadays, a lot of people use social media; therefore, ads can reach a large number of audience. Additionally, different algorithms are now being introduced which displays personalized advertisements according to the need of people. Hence, these advertisements can play a massive part in the growth of a company.

In todays world, technology is at its peak. People use different applications and play a large number of games on their smartphones which shows different ads to them. However, the impact of these advertisements depend on how much effort is being put into creating them. Companies can pay different social media influencers to promote their product. For example, dermatologist influencers can be approached by skin care brands to promote their products. On the other hand, there are a lot of algorithms available which helps an application to show ads relevant to the person using it. For example, a person showing interest in buying clothes is shown more of such websites by the algorithm.

On the contrary, a number of people are quite justified in their opinion that people do not pay attention to ads because they have become common. Everyday, people see a large number of ads everywhere on the internet. Hence, their brain filters most of the ads as irrelevant and they dont pay much attention to them. For example, a large number of users face ads when they are playing a game, causing them to skip them without even looking at the content.

It is undeniable that advertisements play a large part in persuading people to buy different things. Nevertheless, the success only depends on the strategy being used to display and create these ads. Advertisements bring most success when they reach the right audience.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. The arguments regarding the effectiveness of targeted advertising and the counter-argument about ad fatigue are relevant and supported with examples, such as the use of influencers and algorithmic targeting. However, the development is somewhat uneven; while the first body paragraph introduces good points, the second body paragraph repeats the concept of algorithms, which was already mentioned in the first. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph introduces distinct, fully developed ideas rather than overlapping content. Overall, the position is consistent throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'In my opinion', 'Additionally', 'On the contrary', and 'Nevertheless' are used effectively to guide the reader through the argument. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different viewpoints. However, the transition between the first and second body paragraphs is slightly disjointed, as both discuss the effectiveness of ads. Improving the logical flow between these sections would enhance the overall coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate and appropriate for the task. You use some topic-specific terms like 'algorithms', 'social media influencers', and 'dermatologist'. However, there is a reliance on repetitive phrasing, such as 'a large number of' and 'different', which appears multiple times. To improve, try to vary your quantifiers and adjectives. For instance, instead of 'a large number of audience', use 'a vast audience' or 'a wide demographic'. The word choice is functional but lacks the precision and sophistication required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'In todays world' (missing apostrophe), 'which displays' (subject-verb agreement: should be 'display'), and 'which helps' (should be 'help'). Additionally, 'a large number of audience' is grammatically incorrect; it should be 'a large audience'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and punctuation will significantly improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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