Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-15

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)

In the contemporary landscape of advertising, some people express that adverts are a great way to persuade buyers. While others tend to think otherwise and believe that adverts are usually overlooked now. I will be discussing both views on this matter and give my final judgement at the end.

Advertising now pushes a number of promotional content towards individuals in a way that it makes it easy for it to be overlooked. We can see that through being surrounded by adverts everywhere including in stores, billboard signs, emails, as well as website ad pop ups. Consumers tend to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of adverts and are unable to focus on buying one particular item. Over time, this starts to act as an invasion of privacy above all else, and reduces the majority of brands creditability in promoting to their niche consumer groups. An example of this could be how people are sent numerous promotional emails on their personal email accounts daily, which may be disturbing and unnecessary for the buyers and often times the adverts are not something that the individual is searching for either.

On the contrary, some argue that targeted advertising through social media is a particularly successful way of marketing a certain brand product. Brands monitor users activity and their searches and send personalized adverts that match buyers required needs through algorithms. This makes the process for buying things much more manageable and efficient for consumers. An example of this could be if an individual searches for digital cameras, they get several useful adverts on their algorithm that narrows down the process for them. Overall this type of advertising is thriving in the modern world and consumers may also appreciate this sort of marketing.

In conclusion, I believe that advertising is hugely successful in persuading buyers and helps with making the process of searching and buying pleasant and stress-free.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and give a clear opinion: the first main paragraph explains why advertising may be ignored, while the second presents targeted advertising as persuasive, and the conclusion states that you consider it successful. The examples of unwanted promotional emails and camera adverts make the discussion relevant. However, the first view is developed more through the volume and intrusiveness of adverts than through whether people actually stop noticing them. Some claims, such as advertising reducing brands’ credibility, are introduced but not fully explained. Your final opinion is clear, but it would be stronger if you directly weighed the two views and explained why targeted advertising outweighs advert fatigue.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. The progression from general advert overload to targeted marketing is easy to follow, and signposts such as “On the contrary” help distinguish the perspectives. Cohesion is sometimes mechanical, however: the introduction announces that you will discuss both views, and the conclusion repeats your position without drawing the comparison together. Some references are also unclear, as in “they get several useful adverts on their algorithm,” where “they” and “their algorithm” could be expressed more precisely. To improve, connect each example explicitly to the claim it supports and use a wider range of natural transitions between ideas.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “promotional content,” “targeted advertising,” “personalized adverts,” and “algorithms.” These choices help explain both advert saturation and tailored marketing. There are also attempts at less common phrasing, but some combinations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “brands creditability,” “buyers required needs,” and “a certain brand product.” “Promotional content” is also repeated in closely related forms, and “adverts” recurs frequently. These issues do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Aim to use established collocations and check word forms and spelling; for example, “brand credibility” and “consumers’ needs” express your intended meanings more accurately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including subordinate clauses such as “which may be disturbing and unnecessary” and conditional phrasing with “if an individual searches.” Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors and punctuation choices are noticeable. For example, “Brands monitor users activity and their searches and send personalized adverts” needs a possessive form (“users’ activity”), while “if an individual searches for digital cameras, they get” shifts from singular to plural reference. The opening sentence also has an awkward structure: “some people express that … While others tend to think otherwise” is not a complete, balanced construction. Review possessives, consistent pronouns, and sentence boundaries, while continuing to use varied sentence forms.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.