Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-21
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)
There are some people who thinks that advertisement plays a massive role on our shopping, while others say that promotion of products is so general that we do not even waste our time on fancy posters of goods. This essay will examine both views and argue why adults do not spend time on buying products by watching ads.
The main reason advertisement influence our shopping habits is social media and ongoing trend on it. Many of us get attracted toward the trendy products which displays on our screen because of fear of missing out. Numerous studies have shown that people hate being missed out from trends. So, they purchase goods easily through the campaign which are runed by companies. My own sister also order a lot of stuff from different websites and try it on functions. Basically, our purchasing power and social media advertisement force us indirectly to buy things.
On the other side of arc, many people did not even pay attention to these fancy campaign. This is because many of us have busy schedule, hectic work and do not have enough time to spend. Moreover, adults are mature enough not to buy useless products or on time use product because many of these product are expensive as well. In fact, a wise person will always utilize money on some meaningful things instead of wasting funds on some vague things which are not even useful. For instance, many parents only spend earning on some valuable products and scold children for buying worthless stuff.
In conclusion, individuals get attracted and influenced to buy goods through ads because of social media trends. However, there are many people who use their earning wisely and do not pay attention toward promotion campaign. This why I firmly believe some citizens do not pay attention to advertisements.
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 essay addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The first body paragraph relies on a personal anecdote about a sister, which is less appropriate for an academic essay than generalising the argument. The second body paragraph introduces the idea of 'busy schedules' as a reason for ignoring ads, which is a relevant point, but the explanation could be more analytical. While the task is addressed, the arguments remain at a somewhat superficial level, lacking the depth required for a higher band score. The conclusion clearly restates your position, ensuring the response remains focused on the prompt throughout.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. Cohesive devices such as 'The main reason', 'On the other side of arc', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly awkward or non-standard, such as 'On the other side of arc', which is not a natural English idiom. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally repetitive, and the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words to connect ideas more fluidly. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two opposing viewpoints.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the message to be conveyed clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'purchasing power', 'campaign', and 'promotion'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'waste our time on fancy posters' (instead of 'pay attention to') and 'utilize money on' (instead of 'spend money on'). There are also some minor errors in word form, such as 'runed' instead of 'run'. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding informal phrasing.
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 subject-verb agreement issues ('people who thinks') and incorrect verb forms ('many people did not even pay attention' should be 'do not pay attention'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency. Punctuation is generally functional, but the control over complex sentence structures needs to be more consistent to reach a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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