Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-02
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)
Advertising plays a vital role for buy and purchase things. People have mixed opinions regarding it. Some people think it is a successful strategy, while others believe that it has little impact on sales. I also have mixed view regarding advertising.
Firstly, people are busy these days and they don’t have time to search about things in detail to purchase. So, when an advertisement comes in front of them, they decided to purchase it. For example, few days ago, I was searching for mascara that lasts about 8 to 10 hours. I watched an advertisement online and then searched on it. After satisfaction, I purchased it. Before watching that advertisement, I had zero knowledge about that product. The advertisement enhanced my awareness towards the products. Secondly, attractive advertisements catch us to buy the things. For example, we often watch ad of the same company and they did not change their products much but they create ad like they are more attractive. This attract us to buy them immediately.
On the other hand, people prefer to spend quality time with their family by doing shopping physically. They prefer to buy things in-person because they do not have trust on online purchase and most of them do not believe in the ads. That’s why they do not buy things just after watching them on the ads. They like to visit the stores and then they decide that they have to buy this or not! Moreover, people feel exhaust after watching multiple advertisements and they just skip them and not prefer to watch them again.
In conclusion, I believe that both methods should be prefer for purchasing. Reviews can be seen before ordering anything. If there is anything unusual then in-person shopping is the obvious option.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both views on advertising and providing a personal opinion, which keeps it relevant to the task. However, the development of ideas is limited and sometimes unclear. For instance, the discussion on why people do not pay attention relies heavily on a personal anecdote rather than fully developed arguments, and the conclusion introduces a confusing point about methods of purchasing rather than summarising the main points clearly. To reach a higher standard, the writer needs to extend and support all arguments more thoroughly with broader examples rather than relying on narrow personal narratives.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
There is a basic logical organisation to the essay, with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing both views, and a conclusion. However, overall progression is hindered by abrupt transitions and repetitive cohesive devices, such as the frequent use of 'Secondly' and 'For example'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal logical flow within paragraphs is sometimes disjointed, making it difficult to follow the progression of thought. Improving the variety and accuracy of cohesive links and ensuring each paragraph builds smoothly into the next would significantly enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is somewhat limited and minimally adequate for the task. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, but this frequently leads to noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and word form, such as 'role for buy and purchase things' and 'feel exhaust'. While communication is generally maintained, these lexical inaccuracies prevent the writing from achieving greater precision. Expanding the range of vocabulary and ensuring correct word forms and collocations are used will be essential for improving lexical capability.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The writing demonstrates a limited range of sentence structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside attempts at complex forms that are often faulty. There are frequent errors in grammar, such as missing articles ('search about things'), incorrect verb forms ('they decided' instead of 'they decide'), and preposition errors ('awareness towards'). These grammatical mistakes require some effort from the reader to decode the meaning. Incorporating a wider variety of complex sentence structures with greater accuracy and attention to basic grammatical rules will help elevate the standard of writing.
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