Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
In today's world, companies are doing excessive advertising to make their customers know about their products. Some people argue that advertising is extremely successful at persuading us to buy things, while other believe that advertising is so common that we no longer pay attention to it. In my opinion, companies should carry out advertising to increase their revenue and inform customers about their new products.
On the one hand, advertising helps people to know about new arrivals of companies. This is because many people get influenced by the product launch events by companies. For example, if an electronic company launches new AI-powered washing machine, they can use advertising to show the unique features of it and influence people to buy it. As a result, advertising helps an individual to get knowledge about new products arriving in the market. Additionally, companies can attract more customers with the use of advertising. The companies showing the advantages of their products may increase the number of customers, which in turn increases their revenue.
On the other hand, critics argue that people have become more aware about different products from different companies. Individuals can use various facilities like online sources to compare different companies of a product, check customer reviews and so on. Therefore, people may not persuade by the advertising campaigns carried out by companies. Furthermore, individuals have become tired of advertising. Recently, companies have carried out excessive advertising, due to this the large number of people get frustrated of seeing advertising in newspapers or on social media. Thus, people may ignore advertising carried out by companies.
In conclusion, advertising helps companies to increase their revenue and allows people know about new products arriving in the market, but people have become more informed about the various products and may become tired of advertising. In my opinion, companies should carry out advertising to increase their revenue and to introduce new products.
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 all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of product launches and online comparison tools. However, the development is somewhat limited; the arguments are presented in a straightforward manner but lack depth or nuanced exploration. For instance, the discussion on why people ignore advertising could be expanded with more specific examples of 'ad fatigue' or the psychological impact of digital saturation. The position is consistent throughout, but the conclusion merely restates the introduction rather than synthesizing the arguments effectively. Overall, it meets the requirements for a Band 6.0 as it addresses all parts of the task with relevant, though somewhat basic, ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand,' 'On the other hand,' 'For example,' and 'Furthermore' are used to link ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as the phrase 'due to this the large number of people,' which lacks a smooth connection to the preceding clause. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the overall structure is coherent, justifying a Band 6.5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'revenue,' 'AI-powered,' and 'advertising campaigns.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is some repetition of basic words like 'advertising' and 'companies.' There are also minor collocation issues, such as 'get knowledge' instead of 'gain knowledge' or 'people may not persuade' instead of 'people may not be persuaded.' While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey meaning, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'other believe' (should be 'others believe'), 'electronic company launches new AI-powered washing machine' (missing article 'an'), and 'allows people know' (should be 'allows people to know'). These errors are noticeable but do not impede communication. The control over complex structures is inconsistent, and the punctuation is generally functional. Given the frequency of these minor errors, the response sits firmly at a Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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