Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-10-27

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)

Adverstisement is the easiest medium to gain attention and to launch new products. There's an ongoing debate that whether advertisement pursue us to buy things or is it so common that people have started showing indifference towards it. Its been going around from ages, earlier it used to come for few seconds on radio but it peaked at the time when television got introduced. In my opinion, people still get influenced from ads and buy things even if its not needed. The most impact an ad does is when it has an actor or cricketer selling the product. If the product is appearing on banners and marketed so highly, it starts to gain people attention. People think that if that person is using the product then why not me?

However, in today's century people are so accustomed to ads that it rarely influence them. Through social media, advertisements have become so common and easy to ignore. On youtube, we can buy premium subscription and get rid of ads easily. Today, the algorithem is so personelized that if we search a product on google it appears as an ad on other apps including instagram, facebook and youtube.

To conclude, I think majority of people in developing countries are not educated and so when they see their favorite celebrity in an ad, they save money and buy that product. People that are literate go into detail and buy the product after looking at the ingredient and not just by the advertisement. Hence, marketing is a good strategy for developing countries like India because people praise celebrities and can buy things by blindly trusting them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and state your own position: advertising can influence buyers, while its ubiquity makes it easier to ignore. The examples of celebrity endorsements and skipping online ads are relevant. However, the discussion is uneven and some claims are not sufficiently explained. For instance, the conclusion shifts to a broad claim that people in developing countries are “not educated” and buy products blindly, without support or qualification; this also narrows your opinion compared with the earlier discussion. The point about literate consumers checking ingredients is relevant but needs clearer explanation of how it relates to advertising’s effectiveness. Develop each view with balanced reasoning and make your final position consistent with the argument throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an opening position, a paragraph beginning “However” for the opposing view, and a concluding paragraph. This helps readers identify the main stages of your discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes loose: the opening moves from advertising’s history to celebrity endorsements without clearly linking these points, and the conclusion introduces developing countries and literacy rather abruptly. Some connections are also unclear, such as “If the product is appearing on banners and marketed so highly” leading to the claim that people will want it. Use topic sentences that directly frame each view, then order supporting explanations and examples logically. Clearer links between the body paragraphs and your final opinion would make the argument easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “celebrity,” “premium subscription,” “personalized,” and “ingredient,” and you attempt phrases such as “showing indifference” and “blindly trusting.” This gives you enough language to communicate the main ideas. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, which makes some sentences less natural: “gain people attention,” “the most impact an ad does,” and “it rarely influence them.” There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “Adverstisement,” “algorithem,” and “personelized.” Aim for more precise collocations and check spelling carefully. Vary repeated uses of “ad” and “product” with suitable alternatives, while ensuring that substitutions remain clear.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including a conditional question (“if that person is using the product then why not me?”) and a contrast introduced by “However.” The main message is generally understandable, but errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles, and punctuation recur. Examples include “Its been going around from ages,” “it rarely influence them,” and “if we search a product,” where the grammatical forms are not controlled. The opening question, “There's an ongoing debate that whether…,” is also awkwardly constructed. Practise forming indirect questions and checking subject–verb agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries. More accurate control of these patterns would make your varied sentence attempts clearer and more effective.

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