Effective Advertisements and Their Impact on Society

Successful companies use advertisements to make more sales. What can make an advertisement effective? Do you think advertisements are a bad thing or a good thing for society?

Annotated response

1 correction note

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Advertising plays a crucial role in helping companies increase their sales. An effective advertisement is usually clear, attractive, and easy to remember. It should clearly highlight the product’s benefits and connect with people’s needs or emotions. For instance, a TV commercial that tells a short, interesting story or uses humor can leave a strong impression on viewers. Similarly, ads on social media that are visually appealing and concise often capture attention quickly, especially among younger audiences.

Some people argue that advertising can be harmful because it encourages people to buy unnecessary products, which may lead to wasteful spending. However, I believe that advertising can have a positive effect if it provides useful information and helps customers make informed choices. It also supports businesses, creates jobs, and contributes to the growth of the economy. Companies can even use advertisements to promote eco-friendly or socially responsible products, which benefits society as a whole.

In conclusion, advertisements that are clear, creative, and persuasive can significantly boost sales for companies. Although they sometimes encourage unnecessary purchases, advertising has many advantages when used responsibly and ethically, benefiting both businesses and society.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.0

The response directly answers both questions with a clear position, relevant examples, and a balanced conclusion, expressed in accurate and flexible language. Its main limitation is insufficient length, which restricts the depth of idea development compared with a fully elaborated Task 2 essay.

IELTS criteria

How each score was decided

Task Response

6.0

The response addresses both parts of the task with a clear position and relevant ideas, but development is limited by the response being 64 words short of the minimum length.

Coherence and Cohesion

7.0

Ideas are organised logically across clear paragraphs with a range of cohesive devices used naturally, and progression is consistently easy to follow.

Lexical Resource

7.0

Vocabulary is sufficiently flexible and precise, with natural collocations such as 'wasteful spending', 'informed choices', and 'socially responsible products', despite some reliance on common advertising terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.0

A variety of complex structures, including conditionals, relative clauses, and concession, is used with good control and only rare, non-impeding errors.