Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-23

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)

Some argue that advertising plays an important role to make us to purchase new things. Others believe that advertising is available everywhere and people know how to ignore them. Although advertisement shows key features of product. I believe that people are more selective.

Advertisement has increased significantly and plays important role to make people buy new things because advertisement shows key features of product. This is because many companies do advertising on social media, where they display main features of product with special discounts on it. People use social media everyday and get influenced through watching advertisement continuously and think they need that product. For example, a person purchase a new smartphone by watching advertisement on Instagram, even though their old phone work well. Although, I believe that people no longer pay attention to it because they are watching regularly.

advertisement not influenced fully people because individuals are more selective. people are watching advertisement everywhere such as on social media, newspaper, and public transport, because of that they take it normally and ignore them. if people want to buy new product, they check review and compare it with different products themselves. for instance, a person wants to purchase a laptop, they can check their review online and compare it with different companies's laptop before thinking about the purchase. therefore, i believe that

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which significantly impacts the development of ideas. While both views are addressed, the discussion is underdeveloped and the conclusion is incomplete, cutting off mid-sentence. The position is stated but lacks the depth required for higher bands. To improve, you must ensure you fully explore each perspective with sufficient supporting examples and provide a complete, well-reasoned conclusion. The current length prevents a full development of the argument, leading to a lower score in this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical flow is hindered by the incomplete nature of the final paragraph. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'For example', 'Therefore'), they are sometimes used mechanically or incorrectly. The lack of a finished conclusion disrupts the overall progression of ideas. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence followed by fully developed supporting points that lead naturally to a coherent conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for basic communication but lacks the range and precision expected at higher levels. There is significant repetition of words like 'advertisement', 'product', and 'purchase'. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'advertisement not influenced fully people'. To improve, try to use synonyms and more sophisticated collocations. For example, instead of repeating 'advertisement', use terms like 'marketing campaigns', 'promotional material', or 'commercial messaging' to demonstrate a broader lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains frequent grammatical errors, including issues with article usage ('a new smartphone', 'the advertisement'), subject-verb agreement ('their old phone work well'), and sentence structure. There is a lack of complex sentence structures, and punctuation is inconsistent, particularly with the use of full stops. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, ensuring correct verb forms, and practicing the use of complex structures like relative clauses or conditional sentences to add variety and accuracy to your writing.

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

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