Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-12

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)

Unquestionably, every matter can be viewed from different perspective. A considerable proportion of individuals are divided in to two groups and therefore, advertising has become an integral part of daily life. While some people believe that advertising is highly effective in encouraging consumers to purchase products, other argue that people have become so familiar with advertisements that they no longer pay attention to them. This essay will compare and contrast of the opinions along with my opinion which is in favour of former view will be discussed in a sensible conclusion.

To begin with, Firstly, advertising can be extremely successful in persuading people to buy products. The people who support this say that, companies use attractive visuals, memorable slogans and famous celebrities to capture consumers' attention and create a desire for their products. Moreover, modern advertising is often personalised through social media and online platforms, allowing companies to target people according to their interests and preferences. For example, when a person searches for shoes online, they may later see advertisements for similar shoes on social media platforms, which increases the likelihood of making a purchase. As a result, consumers are more likely to purchase products that appear relevant and appealing to them.

In contrast, people who held another view point say that it is understandable why some people believe that advertising has lost its effectiveness. Nowadays, individuals are exposed to countless advertisements on television, websites, social media and public spaces every day. Consequently, many people become accustomed to them and simply ignore promotional messages. For instance, many people are influenced by advertisements for fashionable clothing or new smartphones, even when they do not actually need these items. In addition, consumers have become more aware of marketing strategies and may be less likely to trust exaggerated claims made by advertisers. Therefore, traditional advertisements may no longer have the same impact as they did in the past.

To conclude, although the widespread presence of advertising has caused some people to ignore it, I believe that advertising remains highly successful, particularly when it is creative and targeted at specific consumers. Therefore, despite becoming increasingly common, advertising continues to play an important role in influencing people's purchasing decisions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on advertising and providing a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. The writer's position is maintained throughout the essay. The ideas are generally relevant and extended, such as explaining how social media target consumers and how people become desensitised to continuous promotion. However, there is a minor contradiction in the third paragraph where the text states that people ignore promotional messages, but then gives an example of people being influenced by clothing and smartphone advertisements. Despite this slight logical hiccup, all parts of the prompt are well-covered, meeting the criteria for a solid band 7 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are structured into a logical four-paragraph framework with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs representing opposing views, and a summary conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to guide the reader, such as "To begin with", "Moreover", "In contrast", and "To conclude". However, there are minor mechanical cohesion issues and phrasing slips, such as "compare and contrast of the opinions along with my opinion which is in favour of former view will be discussed", which reads awkwardly and indicates slight rigidity in transitional phrasing. Paragraphing is used appropriately, ensuring that each major viewpoint receives focused development.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as "integral part", "desensitised" (implied), "personalised through social media", and "purchasing decisions". There are, however, some slight lexical inaccuracies and awkward phrasings, such as "divided in to two groups" instead of 'divided into two camps', and "in favour of former view" which misses the article 'the'. Despite these minor word-choice slips, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly without impeding communication, aligning comfortably with a band 6 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures throughout the response. Complex sentences are attempted with varying degrees of success, such as conditional and relative clauses like "when a person searches for shoes online, they may later see advertisements for similar shoes". There are several grammatical errors and awkward structures, including "every matter can be viewed from different perspective" (missing article), "other argue" (plural/singular mismatch for 'others'), and "compare and contrast of the opinions". Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors are present, they rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the arguments without serious difficulty.

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