This is an IELTS writing task 2 sample answer on the topic of advertising and needs from the real IELTS exam.
Please consider signing up for my Patreon here in order to support my efforts and receive exclusive Ebooks and materials related to IELTS!
Dave
IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer Essay: Advertisements & Needs (Real Past IELTS Exam/Test)
Some believe that people will purchase a product based on their needs and advertising is not needed.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Many have argued that advertisement serves no real purpose as necessity motivates all purchases. I disagree with this completely because ads give consumers a minimum guarantee of quality and also develop wants into needs.
First of all, advertising is the most direct way to inform customers of a given product’s quality. The content of the ad is less important than the fact they were able to produce, distribute and, oftentimes, get a celebrity endorsement. For example, KFC typically signs the most famous football players to massive sponsorship deals, thereby evidencing the continued relevance and quality of their food. When a lesser known company premiers an advertisement this is evidence that they are generating enough revenue to validate whatever product they sell or service they provide.
Secondly, advertising does not simply meet needs; it creates them. Most people could live more fulfilling lives with fewer products but advertising stimulates desires by appealing to consumer psychology and those initial wants eventually become habitual. A good example of this would be the rise of Apple products in the last two decades and the role of advertising in making them popular. Apple phones and computers are famed not only for their quality but also the sense of being part of a community of users. Stylish ads like the ‘think different’ campaign helped foster their dominance. Now the desire to become part of the Apple community and appear cool has become a basic need for many users hooked into the Apple ecosystem of high-quality consumer electronics.
In conclusion, advertising serves an important role in society. This does not mean that it should not be regulated, simply that consumers and officials should be mindful of the full contribution of advertisers.
Analysis
1. Many have argued that advertisement serves no real purpose as necessity motivates all purchases. 2. I disagree with this completely because ads give consumers a minimum guarantee of quality and also develop wants into needs.
- Paraphrase the overall topic of the esasy.
- State your opinion clearly.
1. First of all, advertising is the most direct way to inform customers of a given product’s quality. 2. The content of the ad is less important than the fact they were able to produce, distribute and, oftentimes, get a celebrity endorsement. 3. For example, KFC typically signs the most famous football players to massive sponsorship deals, thereby evidencing the continued relevance and quality of their food. 4. When a lesser known company premiers an advertisement this is evidence that they are generating enough revenue to validate whatever product they sell or service they provide.
- Write a topic sentence with a single main idea at the end.
- Explain or develop your main idea.
- Begin a specific example.
- Develop your example.
1. Secondly, advertising does not simply meet needs; it creates them. 2. Most people could live more fulfilling lives with fewer products but advertising stimulates desires by appealing to consumer psychology and those initial wants eventually become habitual. 3. A good example of this would be the rise of Apple products in the last two decades and the role of advertising in making them popular. 4. Apple phones and computers are famed not only for their quality but also the sense of being part of a community of users. 5. Stylish ads like the ‘think different’ campaign helped foster their dominance. 6. Now the desire to become part of the Apple community and appear cool has become a basic need for many users hooked into the Apple ecosystem of high-quality consumer electronics.
- Write another topic sentence with a new, distinct main idea.
- Develop or explain the main idea.
- Give a specific example.
- Develop the example.
- Keep developing the same example.
- Draw out conclusions from your example.
1. In conclusion, advertising serves an important role in society. 2. This does not mean that it should not be regulated, simply that consumers and officials should be mindful of the full contribution of advertisers.
- Repeat your opinion.
- Add in a final thought/detail.
Vocabulary
What do the words in bold below mean?
Many have argued that advertisement serves no real purpose as necessity motivates all purchases. I disagree with this completely because ads give consumers a minimum guarantee of quality and also develop wants into needs.
First of all, advertising is the most direct way to inform customers of a given product’s quality. The content of the ad is less important than the fact they were able to produce, distribute and, oftentimes, get a celebrity endorsement. For example, KFC typically signs the most famous football players to massive sponsorship deals, thereby evidencing the continued relevance and quality of their food. When a lesser known company premiers an advertisement this is evidence that they are generating enough revenue to validate whatever product they sell or service they provide.
Secondly, advertising does not simply meet needs; it creates them. Most people could live more fulfilling lives with fewer products but advertising stimulates desires by appealing to consumer psychology and those initial wants eventually become habitual. A good example of this would be the rise of Apple products in the last two decades and the role of advertising in making them popular. Apple phones and computers are famed not only for their quality but also the sense of being part of a community of users. Stylish ads like the ‘think different’ campaign helped foster their dominance. Now the desire to become part of the Apple community and appear cool has become a basic need for many users hooked into the Apple ecosystem of high-quality consumer electronics.
In conclusion, advertising serves an important role in society. This does not mean that it should not be regulated, simply that consumers and officials should be mindful of the full contribution of advertisers.
Answers
serves no real purpose pointless
necessity needed
purchases what is bought
consumers customers
minimum guarantee at least
wants desires
most direct way straightforward
inform customers tell consumers
given product’s quality how good something is
content of the ad what they say in the advertisement
distribute send out
oftentimes usually
celebrity endorsement famous people representing a brand
signs signals
massive sponsorship deals lots of money to endorse
thereby therefore
continued relevance still important
lesser known company not as famous
premiers an advertisement ad starts to run
generating enough revenue making enough money
validate justify
service they provide their product
fulfilling satisfying
stimulates desires make people want it
appealing enticing
consumer psychology how customers think/behave
initial beginning
eventually over time
habitual get used to
role place
famed famous for
sense feeling of
being part of together
community of users like-minded people
stylish looks nice
‘think different’ campaign ads by Apple in 2000s
foster their dominance encourage their popularity
appear cool seem to be cool
hooked into addicted to
Apple ecosystem Apple products only
regulated controlled
be mindful of be aware of
full contribution total input
Pronunciation
Listen and repeat:
sɜːvz nəʊ rɪəl ˈpɜːpəs
nɪˈsɛsɪti
ˈpɜːʧəsɪz
kənˈsjuːməz
ˈmɪnɪməm ˌgærənˈtiː
wɒnts
məʊst dɪˈrɛkt weɪ
ɪnˈfɔːm ˈkʌstəməz
ˈgɪvn ˈprɒdʌkts ˈkwɒlɪti
ˈkɒntɛnt ɒv ði æd
dɪsˈtrɪbju(ː)t
ˈɒfntaɪmz
sɪˈlɛbrɪti ɪnˈdɔːsmənt
saɪnz
ˈmæsɪv ˈspɒnsəʃɪp diːlz
ˈðeəˈbaɪ
kənˈtɪnju(ː)d ˈrɛlɪvəns
ˈlɛsə nəʊn ˈkʌmpəni
ˈprɛmiəz ən ədˈvɜːtɪsmənt
ˈʤɛnəreɪtɪŋ ɪˈnʌf ˈrɛvɪnjuː
ˈvælɪdeɪt
ˈsɜːvɪs ðeɪ prəˈvaɪd
fʊlˈfɪlɪŋ
ˈstɪmjʊleɪts dɪˈzaɪəz
əˈpiːlɪŋ
kənˈsjuːmə saɪˈkɒləʤi
ɪˈnɪʃəl
ɪˈvɛnʧəli
həˈbɪtjʊəl
rəʊl
feɪmd
sɛns
ˈbiːɪŋ pɑːt ɒv
kəˈmjuːnɪti ɒv ˈjuːzəz
ˈstaɪlɪʃ
θɪŋk ˈdɪfrənt kæmˈpeɪn
ˈfɒstə ðeə ˈdɒmɪnəns
əˈpɪə kuːl
hʊkt ˈɪntuː
ˈæpl ˈiːkəʊˌsɪstəm
ˈrɛgjʊleɪtɪd
biː ˈmaɪndfʊl ɒv
fʊl ˌkɒntrɪˈbjuːʃən
Vocabulary Practice
Remember and fill in the blanks:
Many have argued that advertisement s_______________________e as n______________y motivates all p____________s. I disagree with this completely because ads give c___________s a m___________________e of quality and also develop w_______s into needs.
First of all, advertising is the m_______________y to i________________s of a g______________________y. The c___________________d is less important than the fact they were able to produce, d___________e and, o_____________s, get a c_______________________t. For example, KFC typically s______s the most famous football players to m_______________________________s, t_________y evidencing the c_______________________e and quality of their food. When a l______________________y p______________________t this is evidence that they are g_______________________________e to v_______________e whatever product they sell or s____________________e.
Secondly, advertising does not simply meet needs; it creates them. Most people could live more f___________g lives with fewer products but advertising s______________________s by a______________g to c________________________y and those i________l wants e____________y become h__________l. A good example of this would be the rise of Apple products in the last two decades and the r_____e of advertising in making them popular. Apple phones and computers are f__________d not only for their quality but also the s__________e of b___________f a c_____________________s. S_________h ads like the ‘t___________________________n helped f_______________________e. Now the desire to become part of the Apple community and a___________l has become a basic need for many users h______________o the A________________________m of high-quality consumer electronics.
In conclusion, advertising serves an important role in society. This does not mean that it should not be r___________d, simply that consumers and officials should b______________f the f___________________n of advertisers.
Listen and check:
Listening Practice
Watch some iconic Apple ads below:
Reading Practice
Here is a really, really old and interesting article about advertising and psychology:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1904/01/the-psychology-of-advertising/303465/
Speaking Practice
Practice by speaking for 2 minutes about the topic from the real IELTS speaking exam:
Talk about advertisment you watched and will not forget
Writing Practice
Write about the related topic below and then check with my sample answer:
Online shopping is become more common these days.
What effect could this have on the environment and the types of jobs required?
Real Past IELTS Exam
This structure is very different from your other essays. Where you talk about both the views.
Which is your preferred way?
Personally I like discussing both the views because varying grammar structure could be used easily.
Yes, I strongly agree – I prefer writing about both sides because then I can have distinct main ideas and it feels more balanced.
I write essays like this every once in a while because sometimes students want to see a fully agree/disagree essay.
Again interest to see
Thank you!
Hi.I’ve written this essay and I stand in partially agree position. Do you think it answers the task and is it consistent throughout this essay? Need some feedbacks and thank you in advance.
It is often said that the advertisements are no longer needed since customers buy goods only when they need it. While I accept people may purchase certain things based on their needs, I also believe that advertising still essential to attract shoppers.
People buy basic necessities regularly to fulfil their daily needs. It can be food or household equipment that most people do not need to watch its advertisements before making purchases. It is because these things have general functions that the public already knows. As an example, people would buy vegetables, fruits and meats when they run out of stock or purchase pans and plates when these have broken. Thus, advertising does not have significant impacts on customers regarding daily and basic things.
Admittedly, advertisement plays a vital role in business. Companies need to promote their latest products along with its specifications to shoppers through advertisements. For instance, a new smartphone company from China, Realme, advertises its up-to-date mobile devices and exposing its flawless design and its distinctive features. Although this producer just has been established three years ago, because of its unique and eye-catching advertisements, it becomes the second-highest sales of smartphone across the world. It proves that advertising also encourages economic growth through customers’ demand. Moreover, in this technological era, advertisements are published on social media and streaming websites, such as Facebook, Netflix and Youtube, in order to reach potential buyers globally. Thus, advertisements are still needed.
In conclusion, the majority of people will directly buy daily needs whenever they need it, but I also perceive that advertising will still exist due to its importance.
Hi Thyar!
I think that there is some confusion about ‘partial agreement’ essays. First of all, don’t write them at all because they are risky!
It is possible to write one but hard to make it a clear opinion and the risk is that you get an automatic band 5 or lower for task achievement.
If you really want to write in that style then you must alter your opinion a bit. Your support and examples are really strong and I would advise you to just choose an overall side.
Rewrite your opinion in the intro and conlusion and I will check it again and let you know if it is ok.
Hi Dave,
I agree with your idea about the risk of unclear viewpoint when the writer adopts this stand – partial agreement. But i did notice one more point. The writer seems to have lost focus in the 2nd body para as the FOCUS of this essay should be about the NEED of advertising for SHOOPERS rather than other people.
Please tell me if i am right, here.
Hi Hoang, I don’t think there is a real distinction – the question just mentions ‘people’ and naturally everyone fits into the category of a consumer so it is fine to write about people/consumers/shoppers interchangeably.
Does that make it clearer for you?
Many are of the view that products are bought based on requirements of consumer regardless of advertisement. In my opinion, although technology assists the buyer to make an informed purchase, promotions are essential to creating a brand image.
Those who cite advertisement are redundant and shopping is driven by the necessity highlight the usage of technology. Most of the consumers usually know what they are looking for in a product and they are well-informed about the advantages and the disadvantages of it because of various internet tools available on e-commerce websites. For example, if a passionate buyer wants to buy a smart-phone or a computer, he can compare different models offered by different companies side by side and weigh one against the other and make a well-informed choice, without being influenced by any celebrity endorsements.
Despite the aforementioned reason, I believe advisement is paramount how a brand is perceived by the customer. Many times, advertisements do not highlight features of a product, it just wants to make an association with something else. There are numerous examples of this, Coca-Cola a billion dollars company is successful in coupling a sugary drink with the “happiness” all because of persistent advisement, clever product placements in TV shows and charm of its brand-ambassadors. A result of it is that a summer party is incomplete without a bottle of soft drink.
In conclusion, I disagree with this opinion because repeated advertisement imprints on human subconscious mind and we are unknowingly attracted towards well-marketed products. However, the government should keep on regulating misleading ads and aware customers about the mal-practices by the large corporations.
Well written Shinzo!
Your opinion is a bit unclear in the intro – make it cleare by saying that technology has replaced the need for advertisiting in some ways…
Really good examples and support – keep writing in that style!
Careful with your referencing of plural pronouns: it/they.
As well as your use of the definite article ‘the’ to reference: ‘The results of this is that…’
Work on your referencing a lot because your ideas and support are really strong – I’m jealous even!
Thank you! For your comments. Earlier, I used to think ‘it’ and ‘this’ are interchangeable. :p
All because of your sample essays and Facebook video I am able to think in right direction.
I follow your golden tip: An example is the meat of body paragraph.
Thanks so much – I’m really happy to help and really enjoyed reading your essays because the ideas flowed and built so beautifully!
I hope your examiner feels the same way as me…
Please assess this
It is argued by some people that there is no need of telecasting adverts as they will buy things as per their requirement. While exaggeration of product in adverts convince buyers to purchase the product, I feel that these are necessary to make people aware and give introduction about products.
Advertisements, these days, are usually exaggerated and attractive, which persuade consumers to buy their product that they do not need. Fair and lovely, for example, a very famous beauty cream, claims that it can fair people’s skin color in 15 days. Although this brand has to confront with many cases due to its false promise, it is still earning significant amount of profit by casting beautiful models and showing varied results of the product. Hence, people end up purchasing those products.
Nevertheless, adverts make people aware about the products and their respective choices that are available in the market. For instance, these days, several brands of mobile phones are available and with the help of advertisements one can choose their cellphone according to required features as well as budget. This results satisfaction among consumers, which is less likely to be possible without advertisements.
Moreover, customers can get a glimpse of the product’s features that they want to buy. This makes the process of choosing product easier. Advertisements of cosmetic products, for example, render the skin type at which these would be most suitable, which assist consumers to buy the appropriate one.
In conclusion, even though adverts can make people buy unwanted products, I believe that these are instrumental in customers’ life.
Hi Harsh!
Some small mistakes with articles, over-paraphrasing, nice development of your ideas but some small issues with the vocabulary – clear opinion – keep working hard!
Dave, is this less than 7 band essay?
Yes, probably a bit below at this point.
Hello Dave,
How do you thing is my essay can achieve band 6.5 ? I’m new a new starter , thank you for your help.
The world we live in today is fully invaded by advertisements. Therefore, a lot of people do not prefer being affected by ads while purchasing a merchandise and so they will be able to buy what exactly necessary for them. In my opinion, although there are some useful advertisements, still it causes excessive expenses due to it encourages buying products which is not needed or unnecessary.
We see ads in all part of our life in consequence of marketing improvement techniques. There are advertisements on television, in the street and on any devices, which has connection to the internet. If someone needs any product, he can search it on the web without having a difficulty and compare features among numerous of brands. For instance, if someone needs a car, searching brands’ advertisements on their websites gives opportunity to find everything they need easily and fast, furthermore he can make a comparison between models which is submitted.
On the other hand, advertisements manage people feelings to be bought by them. Almost all baby advertisements we see if the mother supply the advertised merchandise to her child, the mother herself and the baby are smile and become happy. Therefore, families inevitably find themselves in an extravagant expenditure. Moreover, in case of families not able to afford these products to their children that may damaged them emotionally.
Being exposed to all these advertisements will have been continue in our society. In spite of some advantages of marketing, it is still a controversial issue. However, in many cases advertisements use people weakness thus encourage them to buy unnecessary, unreliable, and even unhealthy products that cause a vast expenditure by people.
Good effort Merve!
I don’t have time to give feedback at the moment but you can sign up here for some: Course.howtodoielts.com/band-scores-corrections
sorry teacher what do u mean by the last sentence>>> officials should be mindful of the full contribution of advertisers.???
Hi Mary, it means that people in the government should be worried/concerned about the effect of advertising.
Is that clear?
Writing
Yep!
Hi Dave,
To be honestly frank, i had a thing with the second body para as i find it hard to EMBRACE the idea of TURNING WANTS INTO NEEDS as the ideas the to words suggest are different. The desires to join the APPLE ecosystem – as given in the example – is still the WANT rather than the NEED. For me, your choice of THIS kind of product demonstrates yourpreferences, so it s more toward the WANT end .
Anither thing is about the conclusion, the mentioning of REGULATION of ads seems out of place to me as the task does not ask us to write about this, and the body of the essay does not mention this idea.
Could you help me make it clear, pls.
Thanks a million in advance.
Hi Hoang, I think the idea is a little complex but it basically means that people start to consider their ‘wants’ as ‘needs’ – for instance, people feel they need the newest phone.
That means the desire becomes so strong that, in the consumer’s mind, a want has become a need.
The last one is just a final thought and isn’t that strict.
Is that clearer?
Many thanks, Master.
No problem, Hoang!
Hi Dave,
please have a look at this essay and give your comments. i have tried to keep it to the time limit of under 40 mins.
many thanks in advance.
Recently, people have witnessed the prevalence of advertising which seeks to persuade them to consume more. However, some hold the idea that it is people’s needs that will prompt purchases, and thus there is no need for advertising. I do not totally agree with this notion.
It is true that there are some products that people buy regardless of the existence of advertising. A case in point is the consumption of bare essentials, such as food, clothes, household appliances; when people run out of these products at home, they must buy them. This proves that advertising may not be relevant here.
Having said that, consumers can enjoy great benefits from product promotions. First, they can make the best possible buys by comparing features and specifications to finalise their decisions according to their needs. For example, if a shopper wants to buy a new smartphone and has a choice between Iphone and Samsung, it is the advertisements that can help them get more information about the products and make more informed choices.
More importantly, it is the financial aspect that concerns many people. Indeed, advertising provides people with mechanical information as well as the price. People can compare the prices of different products from different companies, suppliers or shops before making their choices. For example, a phone shopper can make comparisons of prices of the same phone from different shops to get the best deal. Therefore, advertising helps consumers financially.
In conclusion, while there are certain products that demand no advertising, this activity still benefits shoppers with regard to their needs and financial means. Hence, I believe that there is still high demand for advertising in society.