Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-05

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 the modern world, some individuals believe that marketing is very crucial for every businesses to promote their products in a creative way to generate curiosity in public and influence to purchase these products effectively. Others believe that marketing is very ordinary in public that people can understand these gimmicks of company campaign. We will delve into both sides and extract the suitable opinion on the basis of arguments provided.

To commence, one of the major advantages is that small businesses can creates huge impact in sales and revenue, using the technology of marketing and ads within their budget. In other words, Instagram and Facebook are two online platforms in which anyone can create a campaign to run their creative ads and target their niche audiences. For example, if a clothing brand having a motive to target young generations, so they can create reels for showcasing their clothes in a very efficient way to promote their businesses and generate sales. Thus, it can be beneficial for individuals and society in the long term.

On the other hand, one of the major disadvantages is that there are plenty of creators and influencer in the market who can promote businesses but there is a drawbacks, they can charge very high amount of money and there will no assurance for generating sales and revenue in their businesses. However, some businesses did not pay a single penny to these creators and they can make their own content and start their campaign independently.

In conclusion, the marketing can be beneficial for small businesses in the long term but hiring creators or influencer and they can charge huge amount of money can create several problems in business financial terms.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both views mentioned in the prompt, but the development of these ideas is limited. While you mention that marketing influences purchases and that people may ignore gimmicks, the discussion focuses heavily on small business marketing strategies rather than the psychological impact of advertising on consumers. The prompt asks about the effectiveness of advertising versus consumer indifference, but your essay shifts toward the financial pros and cons of hiring influencers. Consequently, the position is not fully developed, and the focus drifts away from the core question. To improve, ensure each paragraph directly supports the specific arguments regarding persuasion versus indifference.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices like 'To commence', 'In other words', and 'On the other hand' to signal transitions. However, the logical progression within paragraphs is sometimes weak. For instance, the transition from discussing influencer costs to independent content creation in the third paragraph feels abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the use of 'these' without a strong preceding noun phrase. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence flows logically from the previous one will help achieve a higher band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'niche audiences', 'campaign', and 'revenue'. However, there is a lack of variety, and some word choices are slightly imprecise or repetitive, such as 'very crucial', 'very ordinary', and 'very efficient'. There are also minor collocation errors, such as 'creates huge impact' (should be 'create a huge impact') and 'there will no assurance' (should be 'there is no assurance'). To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and collocations to demonstrate a wider range of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues like 'small businesses can creates' (should be 'create') and 'there are plenty of creators... there is a drawbacks' (should be 'there is a drawback'). Additionally, some sentence constructions are awkward, such as 'if a clothing brand having a motive... so they can create'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to limit the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and refining complex sentence structures will significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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