Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-22

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)

People mention that adverts are really succesful at engaging us in order to buy things. Some other people, think that since advertising is commonplace, we no longer pay attention to it. I believe that the latter are correct but with some caveats.

On the camp that believes that advertising is extremely succesful, the reasoning is as follows. Every company in regards to services or manufacturing fields, has departments and considerable budgets allocated towards advertising. This shows that they are constantly monitoring the popular reception towards their services or products, in order to boost their sales or to adjust some of their metrics. In turn, by having this sort of organization they can have coherent strategies on how to have advertisements that are really enticing to consumers. Adverts that have used celebrities, trends and expositions have been really effective in popular culture, for persuading consumers to buy different products.

Meanwhile, people on the opposite camp think that at this point, advertising is so common that we are affected by it. Since the competition is relatively major, and businesses are at constant struggles for their market share, the most common way to maintain or improve that is by allocating money towards advertisements. This affects the total number of adverts that we see on day to day basis. The more advertising that we see, the more densensitized we become from it. In my opinion, their notion is partly true but they neglect the effects of adverts in our subconsciousness. When we cannot decide to buy something, often what pops in our minds are traces of adverts that we have passed by. The more effective that the advert is, the more it shapes our decision.

In a summary, the first view comes from how marketing departments create coherent strategies,which are able to grasp at consumer preferences.The second view denotes that the more advertisements we see the more desensitised we become. I believe the latter to be partially true,as while we may ignore said product, it may affect our decision on buying another product.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task, discussing both views regarding the effectiveness and commonality of advertising, and provides a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. The writer presents relevant ideas, such as corporate budgets and subconscious influence, though some arguments could be extended further. For example, the explanation of how adverts affect the subconscious could be developed with more specific examples. Nevertheless, a clear position is maintained throughout the essay. This aligns well with the Band 6.5 to 7.0 descriptors, and given the clear coverage of all prompts and a stance, a band score of 6.5 is appropriate.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraphing structure, including an introduction, two body paragraphs exploring opposing views, and a conclusion. Transitional phrases such as 'On the camp', 'Meanwhile', and 'In a summary' are utilized to guide the reader, although 'On the camp' is slightly unnatural phrasing. Referencing is generally clear, though occasional mechanical cohesive devices hinder complete fluency. Paragraphs flow logically from one idea to the next. Overall, the organizational structure satisfies the requirements for Band 6.5 to 7.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'desensitized', 'subconsciousness', and 'allocating'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('succesful', 'densensitized') and minor collocation issues, such as 'On the camp' instead of 'In the camp' or 'On one side'. Despite these errors, communication is not impeded, and the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meanings. This corresponds to the Band 6 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied sentence structures such as conditional and relative clauses. There are, however, some grammatical errors and punctuation slips throughout the text, including comma splices and missing articles (e.g., 'on day to day basis' should be 'on a day-to-day basis'). While these errors are noticeable, the majority of simple sentences are clear, and the errors rarely impede overall communication. This performance aligns comfortably with Band 6.0 descriptors.

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

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