Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-13
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)
Advertisement is a very popular and essential marketing technique that influences a considerable amount of people in buying things. Some people believes that advertising technique persuades them to buy things whether they need it or not, on the other side, some people understand the marketing techniques and only focus on buying things which they really need.
Smart advertisements has a power to convince a customer to buy things. Based on research, advertisements marketing often leads consumers to buy things that they don't really need but wishes to have. The way ads are displayed in TV commercials, billboards, pamphalets, magazine etc are tend to attract a lot of people of diverse age. It covers core needs of large consumer market or similar age group. Using strong story telling methods, relevant color themes, ads makers try to resonates the needs of customers in their advertisement which leads the customers to get attracted towards the commercials, ads, billboards etc. With that said, advertisements are extremely successful in persuading or diverting customers to buy things.
On the other side, there are some people who understand their needs and wants better. The don't easily gets impressed by the advertisements because it has become a common practice in the society. They are more focused towards their needs and wants in a specific way and don't get easily influenced by the visuals and ideas show in advertisements.
As far as i am concerned I believe that unique and targeted advertisements is a clever way to convince people about the products or services. Advertisments are extremely successful at persuading us to buy things. Most of the time, people spend money on things which they don't even need, but they buy it because of the idea planted by unique and targeted advertisments.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
You discuss both perspectives and make your own position clear: you argue that advertising can persuade people to buy products they do not need. The first main paragraph supports this with examples of advertising channels and persuasive storytelling, while the next explains why some consumers may ignore familiar advertising. However, the second view is less fully developed: the claim that people understand their needs is asserted, but there is little explanation of how familiarity makes them less attentive or an example of this. Your opinion largely repeats the first view rather than adding a distinct reason or qualification. To strengthen the response, explain the opposing view more fully and develop your own position with a specific example or a clearer account of how advertising influences decisions.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph for each view, and a concluding statement of your opinion. Linking phrases such as “On the other side” and “As far as I am concerned” help signal these stages. Within the first body paragraph, however, several points about advertising methods and their effects are packed together, and the repeated references to “commercials, ads, billboards” make the progression feel somewhat repetitive. Some references are also unclear, such as “It covers core needs,” where the reader must infer what “It” refers to. Use more precise referencing and organise the examples into a clearer sequence, while varying transitions rather than relying on the same contrast pattern.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “marketing technique,” “consumers,” “targeted advertisements,” and “persuading,” which allows you to discuss the subject clearly. There are also attempts at more specific expressions such as “story telling methods” and “color themes.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “a considerable amount of people,” “ads makers,” and “resonates the needs.” Spelling errors such as “pamphalets” and “Advertisments” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural combinations and check spelling carefully; for example, use “a considerable number of people,” “advertisers,” and “resonate with customers’ needs.” This would make your vocabulary more precise and fluent.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “things that they don't really need” and a longer sentence beginning “Using strong story telling methods.” Meaning is generally understandable, but some errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction remain. For example, “Some people believes” should be “Some people believe,” and “Smart advertisements has” should be “Smart advertisements have.” In “The don't easily gets impressed,” both the pronoun and verb form need correction: “They are not easily impressed.” The sentence “The way ads are displayed … are tend to attract” also combines incompatible structures. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and building long sentences around one clear grammatical pattern.
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