Cambridge IELTS 16 Test 2 Writing Task 2: New Products in Adverts
Cambridge IELTS 16 · Test 2 · Academic Writing Task 2Two-part questionCulture & lifestyle
The question notes that businesses today usually stress in their advertising that their products are new in some way. Candidates must answer two questions: why companies do this, and whether this is a positive or negative development in their opinion.
The question
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. In their advertising, businesses nowadays usually emphasise that their products are new in some way. Why is this? Do you think it is a positive or negative development? Write at least 250 words.
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How to read the question
- This is a two-part question: explain the reasons why advertisers emphasise newness, then give a clear judgement on whether the development is positive or negative. Both parts must be developed.
- The first question is about businesses' motives (why advertisers do this), so focus on sales strategy, competition and consumer psychology rather than on why people buy things in general.
- The second question requires your opinion. State it clearly in the introduction and keep it consistent; a mainly negative or mainly positive view with a short concession is easier to control than a perfectly balanced answer.
- New in some way is broad: it includes genuinely new technology, minor updates, new packaging and new versions of old products. Distinguishing real innovation from superficial novelty is a strong way to develop the argument.
- Stay on advertising and the emphasis on newness; do not drift into a general essay on whether advertising is good or bad.
- Useful negative angles include overconsumption, waste and misleading claims; positive angles include rewarding innovation and informing consumers about improvements.
Suggested position
Businesses stress novelty because it attracts attention and persuades consumers that their current possessions are out of date, and although it can reward genuine innovation, I believe this trend is largely negative because it fuels wasteful consumption and often misleads buyers.
Paragraph plan
- 1
Introduction
Paraphrase the statement that modern advertisements usually highlight the newness of products, say that this is driven by commercial pressure, and give your view that the trend is mainly negative.
- 2
Body paragraph 1: why businesses emphasise newness
Explain that novelty grabs attention in a crowded market, that people associate new with better and more advanced, and that persuading customers their current product is outdated drives repeat purchases. Use smartphones or cosmetics marketed as new formula as examples.
- 3
Body paragraph 2: why this is mainly negative
Concede briefly that it can reward real innovation, then argue that many products are only superficially new, so claims mislead consumers, encourage people to replace items that still work and increase electronic waste and household debt.
- 4
Conclusion
Summarise the reasons and restate that the emphasis on newness is mostly a negative development, perhaps adding that consumers should judge products on real improvements.
Ideas and arguments
- Novelty attracts attention: in a crowded market, the word new makes an advertisement stand out.
- Consumers often assume that newer means more advanced, safer or more effective, so newness is a quick way to suggest quality.
- Planned upgrades, such as a new smartphone model every year, make existing products seem outdated and drive repeat sales.
- Companies in competitive markets must show that they are innovating, or customers will switch to rivals that appear more modern.
- Positive: advertising genuine improvements, such as more energy-efficient appliances or safer cars, informs consumers and rewards research and development.
- Negative: many products are only slightly changed, for example a new formula shampoo or new packaging, so the claim can be misleading.
- Negative: the constant push to replace working items increases waste, especially electronic waste, and the use of natural resources.
- Negative: it can create dissatisfaction and pressure to spend, contributing to debt among people who feel they must keep up.
Band 8+ model answer
298 words · An original model answer written for ieltswrites, not an official answer. It stays in English, as in the exam.
In today's advertising, companies frequently stress that their goods are new, whether this refers to an entirely new invention, an updated version or simply a fresh design. This is largely a response to commercial pressure, and in my view it is, on balance, a negative development.
There are several reasons why businesses emphasise novelty. In a crowded marketplace, the word new attracts attention and makes a product stand out from those of its competitors. Moreover, many consumers assume that something new must be more advanced or effective than older alternatives, so novelty acts as a shortcut to suggesting quality. Most importantly, presenting a product as new implies that the customer's current version is outdated, which encourages repeat purchases. Smartphone manufacturers, for instance, release a new model every year and market even minor changes as major breakthroughs.
Admittedly, this emphasis can be positive when the improvements are genuine. Advertising a more energy-efficient fridge or a car with new safety features informs buyers and rewards companies that invest in research. However, such cases seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Many so-called new products differ only superficially from their predecessors, with a new formula shampoo or redesigned packaging, so the claim is often misleading. More seriously, the constant message that newer is better fuels a throwaway culture in which people discard items that still work perfectly well. As a result, electronic waste is growing rapidly, and some consumers fall into debt in their effort to keep up with the latest trends.
In short, businesses highlight newness because it captures attention and persuades people to replace what they own. Although this can occasionally promote real innovation, I believe it does more harm than good, as it encourages wasteful consumption and frequently exaggerates the value of what is on offer.
Why this answer scores highly
- Task Response
- Both parts of the question are answered: reasons are explained with specific examples, and a clear, consistently negative position is presented with a brief concession about genuine innovation.
- Coherence and Cohesion
- The essay devotes one body paragraph to each question, each opens with a clear topic sentence, and cohesive devices such as admittedly, however, as a result and in short are used appropriately.
- Lexical Resource
- The answer uses precise, less common vocabulary such as novelty, outdated, superficial changes, throwaway culture and repeat purchases, and paraphrases new in several ways.
- Grammatical Range and Accuracy
- A wide range of structures, including concessive clauses, relative clauses and passive forms, is used flexibly and accurately.
Useful vocabulary
- novelty
- the quality of being new and unusual
- consumer psychology
- the way people think and feel when deciding what to buy
- a crowded marketplace
- a market with many competing products
- repeat purchases
- buying the same type of product again
- planned obsolescence
- designing or marketing products so they seem out of date or stop working quickly
- outdated
- no longer modern or useful
- genuine innovation
- a real improvement, not just a change in appearance
- superficial changes
- small changes that affect only the surface or appearance
- misleading claims
- statements in advertising that give a false impression
- throwaway culture
- a way of life in which people discard things quickly instead of keeping or repairing them
- electronic waste
- discarded phones, computers and other electrical devices
- keep up with the latest trends
- always have the most modern products or fashions
- conspicuous consumption
- buying things to show wealth or status
Common mistakes
- Writing a general essay about whether advertising is good or bad, without focusing on the emphasis on newness.
- Answering only the first question or giving no clear opinion on whether the development is positive or negative.
- Giving reasons why people like new things in general instead of why businesses choose to advertise newness.
- Changing position halfway through, for example saying it is negative in the introduction and mostly positive in the conclusion.
- Using vague examples such as many products are new instead of specific ones like annual smartphone models or new formula cosmetics.
- Overusing the word new instead of paraphrasing with novelty, latest, innovative and updated.
Frequently asked questions
- Which Cambridge book is this question from?
- This question about advertisers emphasising that products are new is Writing Task 2 of Test 2 in Cambridge IELTS 16 Academic, published in 2021.
- Do I have to choose positive or negative?
- Yes. The question asks what you think, so give a clear overall judgement. You can acknowledge the other side briefly, but your main position must be obvious.
- What kind of essay is this?
- It is a two-part question: one part asks for reasons and the other asks for your opinion, so plan one body paragraph for each.
- How many words should I write?
- Write at least 250 words; around 270-300 words lets you answer both questions fully in 40 minutes.
Free and timed, with a live word count, just like the computer-delivered test. Then get an instant AI band score.
The exam simulator runs on a computer. Open this page on a laptop or desktop to practise.