Research indicates that nowadays some consumers are much less influenced by advertising than in the past. What do you think are the reasons for this? Do you think this is a positive or negative development?
Sample Response
In recent years, research suggests that consumers are increasingly less swayed by traditional advertising. In my view, this shift can be attributed to several factors, and I believe it represents a largely positive development for society.
Several factors explain why modern consumers are becoming more resistant to advertisements. Firstly, the widespread availability of information and online reviews allows individuals to make well-informed decisions without depending on promotional messages. For instance, shoppers frequently consult peer reviews before purchasing electronics, often selecting products based on others’ experiences rather than the claims made in advertisements. Secondly, consumers are now more cognizant of persuasive techniques and marketing exaggerations, which fosters skepticism. Consequently, people critically evaluate advertisements, thus reducing their overall influence on purchasing behavior.
In my opinion, this trend has important implications, most of which are beneficial for society. On the one hand, traditional businesses may face challenges, as declining ad effectiveness compels companies to allocate more resources to marketing or promotional strategies, thereby increasing costs. Local retailers, for example, often struggle to attract customers despite offering high-quality products, as online reviews and influencer recommendations dominate consumer decision-making. On the other hand, this development empowers consumers to make rational and informed choices, prioritizing quality and value over impulsive spending. Specifically, by using price comparison apps or consulting online feedback, individuals can select products that genuinely meet their needs, which in turn motivates companies to improve product quality and transparency.
In conclusion, the diminishing influence of advertising stems from greater information accessibility and consumer awareness of marketing tactics. Overall, this trend is positive, as it promotes informed decision-making among consumers while encouraging businesses to uphold higher standards of quality and accountability.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Avoid awkward comparison Original: increasingly less swayed Suggested revision: less and less influenced Why it matters: The revision expresses the gradual decline in influence more naturally.
- 2. Match the essay scope Original: attributed to several factors Suggested revision: attributed to two main factors Why it matters: The response subsequently identifies exactly two principal reasons.
- 3. Use precise collocation Original: more resistant to advertisements Suggested revision: less influenced by advertising Why it matters: This wording directly and naturally describes the change discussed in the task.
- 4. Use natural verb Original: depending Suggested revision: relying Why it matters: ‘Relying on’ is the more natural collocation for using messages as a basis for decisions.
- 5. Specify review source Original: peer Suggested revision: consumer Why it matters: ‘Consumer reviews’ identifies the relevant source of product information more precisely.
- 6. Prefer direct wording Original: cognizant Suggested revision: aware Why it matters: The simpler phrase communicates the same meaning more directly.
- 7. Improve noun phrase Original: marketing exaggerations Suggested revision: exaggerated marketing claims Why it matters: The revision more precisely identifies the claims that cause consumer skepticism.
- 8. Fix subject agreement Original: fosters Suggested revision: foster Why it matters: The relative clause refers to the plural pair ‘techniques and claims’, so it needs a plural verb.
- 9. Maintain formal register Original: ad Suggested revision: advertising Why it matters: The full form is more appropriate for the essay’s otherwise formal register.
- 10. Remove redundant wording Original: marketing or promotional strategies Suggested revision: promotional strategies Why it matters: Promotion is already part of marketing, so the original alternatives overlap unnecessarily.
- 11. Improve parallel comparison Original: prioritizing quality and value over impulsive spending Suggested revision: prioritizing quality and value over impulse purchases Why it matters: The revision compares product priorities with a parallel purchasing choice.
- 12. Use natural collocation Original: greater information accessibility Suggested revision: greater access to information Why it matters: ‘Access to information’ is the established expression for information availability.
Suggested Rewrites
- increasingly less swayed less and less influenced
- attributed to several factors attributed to two main factors
- more resistant to advertisements less influenced by advertising
- depending relying
- peer consumer
- cognizant aware
Why this response received Band 8.5
The response fully answers both questions through a clear position, well-selected reasons, and balanced development of the trend’s consequences, with particularly strong control of structure and complex language. The main limitation is that the disadvantage to businesses is slightly less convincingly tied to the reduced influence of advertising; strengthen that causal link and explain its broader significance to make the argument uniformly incisive.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both questions are answered directly through a clear position, relevant causes, and well-developed evaluation supported by specific examples.
Clarify why weaker advertising specifically raises costs for traditional businesses so the negative implication is as convincing as the benefits.
Coherence and Cohesion
The response is highly coherent, with purposeful paragraphing, strong internal progression, and cohesive devices used naturally and accurately.
Tighten the transition from the business drawback to the consumer benefits to make their comparative weighting even more explicit.
Lexical Resource
Vocabulary is wide, precise, and flexible, with sophisticated topic language used naturally throughout the response.
Replace the slightly broad label traditional businesses with a more exact category that matches the example of local retailers.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex sentence forms is handled with consistently high accuracy and clear punctuation.
Maintain this control while occasionally varying the openings of explanatory sentences to make the syntax even less patterned.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Research indicates that nowadays some consumers are much less influenced by advertising than in the past. What do you think are the reasons for this? Do you think this is a positive or negative development?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.