Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-04

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)

In today's consumer-driven society, opinions are divided on the effectiveness of advertising. While some believe that commercial marketing remains immensely influential in driving purchases, others argue that its ubiquity has rendered people indifferent to it. In my opinion, while ad fatigue is real, targeted modern advertising is still extraordinary successful at influencing buying behavior.

On the one hand, many contend that the sheer volume of marketing messages has made consumers immune to them, Daily exposure to thousands of billboards, television commercials and banners creates "advertising fatigue". As a result, people actively develop habits to block out these distractions , such as installing ad blockers, skipping videos ads, or simply tuning out passive promotional content.

On the other hand, proponents argue that contemporary advertising are more persuasive than ever, Modern marketing relies heavily on sophisticated algorithms and data analytics to deliver hyper-personalized content to specific target audience. Furthermore, psychological strategies. For instance, leveraging social media influencers, creating artificial scarcity, or appealing to lifestyle aspirations - operate on a subconscious level. Rather than, overtly selling a product , modern campaigns build brand desire, making consumers feel that a purchase fulfills a genuine need.

In conclusion, although the overwhelming prevalence of generic ads has lead to widespread consumer desensitization, i believe advertising remains a remarkable powerful sales engine. By adapting to digital platforms and employing psychological targeting, advertisers continue to successfully shape consumers preferences and drive purchasing decisions worldwide.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The essay addresses both viewpoints and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the response is 236 words, failing to meet the 250-word minimum requirement. This under-length significantly impacts the development of ideas. While the arguments regarding 'ad fatigue' and 'targeted advertising' are relevant and well-structured, they lack the depth and expansion expected for a higher band score. The conclusion is clear, but the overall development is curtailed by the word count, leading to a penalty in this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the two opposing views. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the argument. The progression of ideas is logical, and the relationship between sentences is generally clear, although some transitions could be more sophisticated to improve the flow between the points made in the second body paragraph.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and demonstrates a good range, including terms like 'ubiquity', 'consumer-driven', 'desensitization', and 'hyper-personalized'. There are some minor errors in word choice and form, such as 'extraordinary successful' (should be 'extraordinarily') and 'lead to' (should be 'led to'). Despite these, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey complex ideas clearly. The use of topic-specific terminology is a strength, though a wider variety of collocations would elevate the score further.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that detract from the accuracy, such as 'contemporary advertising are' (subject-verb agreement error), 'Rather than, overtly selling' (incorrect comma usage), and 'remarkable powerful' (should be 'remarkably'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band score. The control over punctuation is inconsistent, particularly with comma placement in complex sentences.

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

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