IELTS Writing Task 2/ Essay Topics with sample answer.
IELTS Essay # 100 - High sales of popular consumer goods reflect the power of advertising
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IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay:
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Today, the high sales of popular consumer goods reflect the power of advertising and not the real needs of the society in which they are sold.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Model Answer 1: [Agreement]
In today's society, advertising plays a crucial role in the sales of popular consumer goods. It is a commonly held belief that the significant sales figures of popular consumer goods are a result of the influence of advertising rather than the genuine necessities of the society in which they are marketed. I completely agree with this belief.
Firstly, advertising techniques have become increasingly sophisticated over the years, making it difficult for consumers to differentiate between their actual needs and the wants created by advertisers. For example, companies use social media platforms to target specific groups of consumers and manipulate their emotions by creating a sense of need for products they may not have even thought about before.
Secondly, companies often spend a significant portion of their budget on advertising and promotion rather than on improving the quality of their products or providing better services to their customers. This can be seen in the case of many fast-food chains that spend a large portion of their revenue on advertising, rather than focusing on providing healthier food options.
Finally, there is evidence to suggest that consumer behaviour is often driven by external factors, such as peer pressure and societal norms. Advertisements capitalize on these societal norms and manipulate consumers into purchasing products they may not necessarily need. For example, consider the trend of using expensive and trendy smartphones among young people. While some may genuinely require the features and capabilities of such devices, others may simply be influenced by the social pressure to own the latest and most popular brand. Advertisements featuring celebrities or social media influencers using these smartphones can exacerbate this pressure and create a desire to conform to the norm, leading to unnecessary purchases.
In conclusion, advertising plays a significant role in shaping consumer behaviour and driving sales of popular consumer goods. Therefore, it is crucial that consumers become more aware of the influence of advertising and make informed decisions about their purchases.
Sample Answer 2: [Disagreement]
These days, with a hoard of consumer products available in the market, some people have difficulty deciding which products they really need and what they just want to have. Cut-throat competition among brands to win consumers has become widespread, and advertisements play a key role in today’s marketing. However, only advertisement is not what forces people to buy things, their real needs are still a powerful factor.
Brands apply various marketing techniques to sell their products to consumers, and advertisement is one of them. Tempting adverts on billboards, TV, radio or the web are constantly pushing us to buy things that they claim are the best. This has an impact on consumers' purchasing decisions, but a great proportion of customers are still driven by their needs rather than the adverts they see. Rampant recessions and soaring living costs have also forced people to cut necessary items from their shopping list, let alone have the luxury of buying whatever they wish.
Moreover, an intensive growth of sales of popular consumer items has resulted from people's modern lifestyle where they need far more things than their ancestors. The role of advertisement, in this case, is confined to helping people choose the products and not persuading them to buy unnecessary goods. For instance, electronic gadgets and household appliances that people use today were not widespread in the past. They came into our life as a natural requirement from our modern lifestyle and were not just pushed by luring advertisements from different brands.
In conclusion, advertisements are a powerful tool for brands and they can affect many purchasers' decisions, but they can not shape what people, as a whole, buy. Modern lifestyle and our real needs are more powerful in this regard.
(Writen by Hesam Hajheidari)
Sample Answer 3: [Agreement]
Nowadays, millions of companies produce billions of consumer products each year, and the role of advertising is quite obvious here - to attract more consumers and make more sales. Adverts are supposed to help customers find goods or services that match their requirements. However, they are also the most powerful tool to shape consumers' purchasing habits in society. I believe that modern commercials are not merely matchmakers of a product and a buyer, rather they actively interfere with buyers' desires, developing artificial needs.
Advertisements are supposed to guide people to learn about different features of various products and make them conscious of what to expect from a service. However, behind the scene, such adverts create artificial needs in our minds and constantly push us to buy the latest models or new products bypassing our real needs of them. When such advertisements falsely promise us to be more young and attractive if we buy and use their products, we are often the puppet in their hand. Market-full of cosmetics, which have even overgrown the necessary sectors in many countries, just indicate how advertisements shape consumers' buying habits rather than their real needs.
Unfortunately, promoters of goods and services now control our minds more aggressively. Commercials no longer promote products, but lifestyles. They tell us to purchase things just because they are fashionable or up to date with the image of a successful person. And we buy new cars, gadgets and clothes in order to match this image and not because old ones are no longer usable.
In conclusion, I think that high sales of popular commodities in modern society are the result of new promotional technologies and tactful advertisement policy rather than people's real needs.
[ Source: Cambridge IELTS Book 6 ]
Sample Answer 4: [Disagreement]
The issue of whether popular consumer goods' high sales are a result of advertising influence or genuine societal needs has been a subject of much discussion. In my opinion, I disagree with the statement that advertising is solely responsible for the high sales of consumer goods.
While it is true that advertising plays a significant role in promoting products and increasing sales, it is not the only factor that determines consumer behaviour. In fact, consumers often purchase products based on their needs and preferences, which are shaped by a variety of factors such as culture, lifestyle, and personal values. For instance, in countries with a high population density, small household appliances such as rice cookers and washing machines are in high demand due to their practicality and convenience, regardless of their brand or the amount of advertising they receive. Similarly, health-conscious individuals may prioritize purchasing products that align with their values, such as organic food or eco-friendly cleaning products. In these cases, advertising may play a minimal role in the consumer's decision-making process.
Moreover, the rise of e-commerce and social media platforms has democratized the advertising industry, allowing smaller brands with limited advertising budgets to effectively reach their target audience through influencer marketing and targeted ads. This indicates that while advertising can certainly influence consumer behaviour, it is not the sole determinant of product sales. In fact, people have become so used to advertisements that they pay little attention to them.
In conclusion, while advertising plays a role in promoting consumer goods and increasing sales, it is important to recognize that consumer behaviour is influenced by a variety of factors beyond advertising alone. Therefore, the high sales of popular consumer goods cannot be solely attributed to the power of advertising, but are rather a reflection of a complex interplay of various societal and personal factors.
On the one hand, in the media, a product can be presented to have great quality and novel function - making them more desirable. As a result, consumers tend to buy goods without enough consideration. This can be seen in the market where consumer products are abundant and their customers are always on the lookout for the latest models. Thanks to advertising campaigns - these customers are trying to buy things they may or may not need.
On the other hand, regardless of whether adverts are promoted or not, the sales of certain goods are more likely unalterable. Necessary household goods, mattresses, groceries, books, and pot plants are some examples of such products. These products, whether advertised or not, are necessary and buyers are often not biased by attractive advertisements of their manufacturers. So, people are buying things that they need even after advertisers are trying hard to win those customers.
In conclusion, it is clear that adverts with numerous companies are the key to elevating revenue, but, it is always not the case. Customers are expected to take into consideration to opt for useful goods no matter how many brands are there and how much money they spend on adverts.
Firstly, from the company’s perspective side who makes the commodity, products are advertised everywhere on roads using billboards, the internet and other electronic media. They try to entice the customer by using cine stars, actresses, and singers to advertise their product or by giving special offers, weekend offers etc, rather than highlighting the quality of the product. Sometimes they do not show the drawbacks of the commodity such as the material used, warranty, durability etc. Some sales websites such as Flipkart, Amazon, and Snapdeal, try to attract customers.
Secondly, from the consumers’ perspective, customers have their own habits in buying the product. Only a few customers get attention to the product and its advertisement rather than seeing the quality of the product and its Brand. Most of the customers do their own surveys before buying items. Suppose if the person wants to buy a mobile, he compares the performance of the gadget with other gadgets, he takes ratings into consideration, experts view and in their opinion, he will buy the gadget. In addition to that, customers take the Brand into account and don't bother about any star acting in that advertisement.
In conclusion, it is neither possible to blame the customer nor the advertisement. Advertisements act as one way to communicate with customers and get their opinion. But it is also the responsibility of consumers before buying the product and thinking about whether it is useful to them or not. If they have enough income, doesn’t mean they spend it lavishly, irrespective of that everybody has the freedom to think. So use it appropriately.
(Submitted by Vamshi)
Discuss both of these views and give your own opinion.
In recent years, the popularity of sports has risen to a staggering new height, and now it offers lucrative career prospects for sportsmen. Many top-level players earn way more money than professionals in other important sectors. A section of society believes this earning is justified. However, others argue that it is unfair for people who contribute more. In my perspective, it is fair for players who earn more money than others. In the course of the essay, I will discuss both viewpoints.
On the one hand, people who are against paying a huge salary to athletes point out the fact that popular athletes are not contributing to the development of society. Still, they earn more than those jobholders and the majority of business people who are the backbone of the community. A jobholder works every day from sunrise to sunset. Their monthly income is often less than a match fee. Since scientists, law enforcers, politicians and teachers play more important roles for the nation, they deserve better remuneration.
On the other hand, people who are in favour of high payment for successful sportsmen say that these athletes impress people with their techniques which they acquire from great devotion and rigid practice. Moreover, these athletes give their whole life to sports, and only after years of experience, they achieve that level of accuracy in sports. They bring nations together and make their countrymen proud by winning. Apart from that, they have just five to ten years to earn money for their whole life, so their high salary is justified.
In conclusion, considering the commitment and skills most sportsmen need to show to become famous, they deserve a high salary. Besides they do a lot to win and bring glory to their fellow citizens. Their earning does not mean other important professionals are less valued.
Question: Today, high sales of popular consumer goods reflect the power of advertising and not the real needs of the society in which they are sold.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Answer:
Effective marketing plays a major role in increasing the demand for the product. On account of this, vast scale selling of famous products is the result of efficient marketing and not a requirement of the public. This essay will attempt to objectively examine all significant components in details. Objectivity being of the essence, this essay will weigh one side of the issue against the other. It is said that the right form of marketing makes us trust specific brands, but, I feel that everything that glitters is not gold.
First, advertisements inform us about the products in demand sitting at home that tends to increase sales. Second, famous brands are often a topic of discussions and that creates a virtual impression of specific goods on our minds. To substantiate the above, highly marketed brands like Patanjali have become extremely popular amongst the middle and upper classes. They have made a huge network in a very short span of time.
However, many popular brands that are advertised vastly are of no good use and creates hoax among the public. Furthermore, many trusted companies are making business without much marketing only because they are fulfilling the needfulness of people by selling genuinely necessary products. To corroborate what has just been stated, brands like 'Mother Dairy' and 'Amul' still hold their positions well even after the introduction of many popular and well-marketed dairy firms.
In light of the above discussion, proper advertising indeed plays a distinct role in producing sales. Still, I believe that the fulfilment of public needs is equally important for successful vending. Bringing this essay to a close, there are at least two ways to examine any situation. In this instance, I disagree with the statement given.
[Approximate band score - 6.0. Please read the essay and find out a few minor changes that have been made.]
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