Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-30
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)
The business market is moving from the old way of communication to the modern way of marketing in the current era. Now, most individuals have access to the internet and mobile and find it easy to approach social media to take and share information. Some individuals believe that advertising gives better results than it encourages us to buy items. Another point of view is that advertising is so usual that people do not show keen interest in it. I discuss both views, and then I shall put in my opinion.
According to one group, advertising plays a pivotal role in convincing customers to buy products, as ads give information about the product but also tell the benefit of a particular item to viewers. Additionally, the marketing does not stay on door-to-door campaigns because now most persons have access to the internet and modern ways of communication, and the ad on any platform, like on TV during any program or match, has a positive impact. Moreover, as in the case of YouTube, there is an ad of about 5-10 seconds when a viewer plays any video by a common version. By this ad, customers need to focus on the ad because YouTube runs ads according to the age and profession of the customer. If a customer is a student, then mostly play ads about technology and online drive apps.
On the other hand, advertising is not as impactful, as it is very common and customers do not focus on ads. Some people focus on the programs or dramas in which they are interested rather than ads, which disturb the attention of the viewers. As in the case of the Tapmad app, customers mostly buy the ad-free subscription so that they do not want to disturb themselves during any show or match, which they want to watch in an easy way. By this, they bypass the ads and pay attention to the required program.
In conclusion, from my perspective, ads are successful in convincing people to buy the products as without ads there is no marketing in current era even though it disturb the viewers during programs.
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 opinion in the conclusion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the first body paragraph provides a relevant example regarding YouTube, the second body paragraph relies heavily on a specific app example (Tapmad) which limits the scope of the argument. The position is clear, but the explanation of why advertising is 'so common' could be more deeply explored beyond just the annoyance factor. Overall, the response covers all parts of the prompt, but the depth of analysis is more characteristic of a Band 6.0 level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs. There is a progression of ideas from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Additionally', 'Moreover', and 'On the other hand', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, although the connection between the introduction and the body paragraphs could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure supports the reader's understanding of the two opposing viewpoints.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'pivotal role', 'marketing', and 'subscription'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'the ad on any platform... has a positive impact' or 'do not want to disturb themselves'. The range is sufficient to communicate, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score. More sophisticated synonyms for common words like 'buy' or 'good' would improve the score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'the ad of about 5-10 seconds' (should be 'an ad'), 'marketing does not stay on door-to-door' (should be 'is no longer limited to'), and 'without ads there is no marketing in current era' (missing articles). Punctuation is generally functional, but the errors in sentence construction and article usage are persistent. These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the response from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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