In their advertising, businesses nowadays usually Emphasize that their products are new in some way.
Why is this?
Do you think it is a positive or negative development?
This essay question is from Cambridge IELTS 16 Test 2 Writing Task 2.
Band 7 Essay Sample:
In today’s competitive marketplace, businesses consistently highlight the novelty of their products in advertisements. This essay will explore the reasons behind this trend and assess whether it represents a positive or negative development.
The primary reason companies emphasize product innovation relates to consumer psychology. Modern shoppers, especially in saturated markets, are drawn to items offering enhanced features or novel solutions. For example, technology companies frequently market incremental updates as groundbreaking innovations, understanding that consumers equate newness with progress. Additionally, in our rapidly evolving world, businesses worry their products may seem outdated without regular updates, justifying the constant release of “new and improved” versions.
Another significant factor is market competition. With countless similar products available, businesses must differentiate their offerings. By highlighting novel aspects – whether in design, technology, or formulation – they create unique selling points. The cosmetic industry exemplifies this strategy, where brands regularly launch “revolutionary” products that often contain only minor formula changes.
While this focus on novelty drives innovation and consumer choice, it can encourage excessive consumption and environmental harm when trivial updates prompt unnecessary purchases. The practice proves positive when delivering genuine improvements but becomes problematic when exploiting consumer psychology for profit without substantial benefits.
Examiner Assessment:
Task Achievement: Band 7
✓ Fully addresses all parts of the question
✓ Presents a clear position throughout
✓ Develops main ideas adequately, though some points could be more fully extended
✓ Includes relevant examples to support arguments
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7
✓ Logically organizes information and ideas
✓ Uses a range of cohesive devices appropriately (“Additionally”, “While”)
✓ Maintains good paragraphing structure
✓ Some transitions could be smoother
Lexical Resource: Band 7
✓ Uses sufficient range of vocabulary for the task
✓ Attempts less common vocabulary (“incremental updates”, “saturated markets”)
✓ Occasional awkward word choices (“justifying the constant release”)
✓ Generally appropriate word choice and collocation
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7
✓ Uses variety of complex structures
✓ Produces frequent error-free sentences
✓ Shows control of grammar and punctuation
✓ Some grammatical errors persist (“businesses worry their products may seem”)
Key Strengths:
- Clear thesis statement in introduction
- Well-developed paragraphs with topic sentences
- Effective use of examples
- Balanced conclusion weighing both sides
Areas for Improvement:
- Some ideas could be more fully developed
- Occasional awkward phrasing
- Minor grammatical errors
- Could use more sophisticated linking phrases
This essay demonstrates strong Band 7 performance across all criteria, showing good control of the language and task requirements while still having room for improvement to reach higher bands.