Media & AdvertisingOpinion (Agree / Disagree)
IELTS Essay: Advertising's Influence on Buying (Band 9 vs 6.5)
In short
Below is a full Band 9 model answer to this IELTS Writing Task 2 question, the same question written at Band 6.5, and a criterion-by-criterion breakdown of exactly what separates them — so you can see what to change in your own writing. Then check your essay with the free tool.
The question
Some people argue that advertising has too much influence on consumers and largely determines what they buy. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
How to approach a Opinion (Agree / Disagree) question
For an agree/disagree question, decide your position before you write and make it unmistakable in the introduction. You can fully agree, fully disagree, or partially agree — all are fine — but you must then defend that single position consistently across both body paragraphs. The most common Task Response error here is sitting on the fence: giving arguments for both sides without ever committing to a view.
The plan
- 01Introduction: paraphrase the topic and state a clear position — advertising's influence on buying is excessive.
- 02Body 1: explain how sophisticated campaigns manufacture desire and exploit emotion to steer purchases.
- 03Body 2: acknowledge that some shoppers resist, then argue this is the exception, not the rule.
- 04Conclusion: restate that advertising's grip is excessive and suggest regulation and consumer education.
Band 9 model answer
Marketing messages now saturate almost every screen and public space we encounter, and their sway over spending habits is a growing concern. While personal taste and budget clearly still matter, I largely agree that advertising has come to dictate consumer choices to an unhealthy degree.
The most compelling evidence lies in how sophisticated modern campaigns have become. Rather than simply describing a product, advertisers deliberately manufacture desire, tying ordinary goods to aspirations such as status, romance or belonging. A perfume, for instance, is rarely sold on its scent; it is sold as a shortcut to glamour. Because these emotional cues bypass rational judgement, shoppers frequently reach for a heavily promoted brand without pausing to weigh cheaper, near-identical alternatives. The sheer repetition of such messaging, amplified by targeted online tracking, means consumers are nudged towards particular purchases long before they consciously decide to buy.
It would be naïve, however, to portray buyers as entirely powerless. Sceptical audiences increasingly research reviews, compare prices and dismiss claims they find implausible, which suggests some capacity to resist. Even so, I would argue this resistance is the exception rather than the rule. For every discerning shopper, countless others succumb to impulse buys, fleeting trends and manufactured scarcity, and the ballooning revenues of the advertising industry testify to just how reliably persuasion translates into sales.
In conclusion, although individual willpower and financial limits temper advertising's grip, the industry's refined psychological techniques give it a hold over purchasing decisions that is, in my view, excessive. Tighter regulation and greater consumer education would help restore a healthier balance.
The same question at Band 6.5
Nowadays advertising is everywhere and many people think it control what we buy too much. In my opinion, I agree that advertising has a big influence on the customers, although people can still make their own choice.
Firstly, advertising is very powerful because it is on the television, internet and street all the time. When people see a advertisement many times, they start to remember the product and want to buy it. For example, big companies like drinks or clothes spend a lot of money for famous actors, and because of this people think the product is good and they buy it. Nowadays it is also very hard to escape from the advertisements because they follow us on the phone too. So advertising make people buy things they maybe do not need.
Secondly, advertising also give people information about new products. Sometimes this is useful because customer can know what is available in the market. Also, some people are clever and they do not believe everything in the advertisement, they compare the price before buying. But most people do not have time for this, and they just buy the popular brand that they saw in the advertising. In my country, for example, many young people buy expensive phones only because of the advertising.
In conclusion, I think advertising has too much influence on what people buy, because it is everywhere and it use emotions to sell products. The government should make more rules for advertising so that people can decide more freely.
What separates them, criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Band 9 | Band 6.5 |
|---|---|---|
| Task Response | Takes a clear, sustained position ('I largely agree ... to an unhealthy degree') and pressure-tests it by conceding that some shoppers resist before refuting that objection. | States agreement, but ideas stay general and thinly developed ('advertising is everywhere', 'it use emotions to sell products') with little concrete support. |
| Coherence & Cohesion | Ideas build naturally with varied, unobtrusive linking ('It would be naïve, however', 'Even so, I would argue') and clear referencing. | Relies on mechanical signposts ('Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Also') and lists points rather than developing them. |
| Lexical Resource | Precise, flexible collocation such as 'manufacture desire', 'bypass rational judgement' and 'manufactured scarcity'. | Adequate but repetitive high-frequency words ('advertising', 'buy', 'people', 'product') recycled throughout. |
| Grammatical Range & Accuracy | Wide range of accurate complex structures ('Because these emotional cues bypass rational judgement, shoppers frequently reach for a heavily promoted brand...'). | Mostly simple and compound sentences with noticeable but non-impeding errors ('it control', 'a advertisement', 'advertising make', 'it use emotions'). |
Examiner's note
The Band 9 script wins on every criterion: it commits to a precise position and tests it against the opposing view, while its vocabulary ('manufacture desire', 'manufactured scarcity') and complex syntax are consistently controlled. The Band 6.5 answer is relevant and organised, but its reliance on 'Firstly/Secondly', recycled everyday words and recurrent slips ('it control', 'advertising make') keep it well below that level.
Vocabulary from the Band 9 answer
| Word / phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| saturate | to fill something so completely that no space is left |
| manufacture desire | to deliberately create a want in people rather than meet an existing need |
| emotional cues | signals in a message designed to trigger feelings rather than logic |
| bypass rational judgement | to get around a person's logical, careful thinking |
| targeted online tracking | following users' internet behaviour so ads can be aimed precisely at them |
| discerning shopper | a careful buyer who judges quality and value well |
| manufactured scarcity | a false impression that a product is in short supply, created to rush buyers |
| temper | to reduce the force or intensity of something |
Frequently asked questions
How do I take a position in an opinion essay?
State your view clearly in the introduction and keep it consistent to the end. Phrases like 'I largely agree' or 'to an unhealthy degree' show the examiner exactly where you stand; sitting on the fence usually lowers your Task Response score.
Do I have to agree completely, or can I partly agree?
You can do either. A partial position ('I largely agree, though individual willpower still matters') is perfectly acceptable, as long as your main stance is clear and you defend it throughout the essay.
How long should a Task 2 essay be?
Write at least 250 words. Most strong answers fall between 260 and 300 words across four paragraphs; going far beyond that wastes time and rarely raises the band.