IELTS Writing Task 2: advertising topic

Advertising is a very common topic in both the IELTS writing and speaking tests. Here are some ideas from my ebook that you could learn.

Positives of advertising:

• Companies need to tell customers about their products and services.
• Advertisements inform us about the choices we have.
• The advertising industry employs many people.
• Advertisements are often funny, artistic or thought-provoking.

Negatives of advertising:

• Advertisers aim to convince us that buying things leads to happiness.
• We are persuaded to follow the latest trends and fashions.
• Children can be easily influenced by advertisements.
• They put pressure on their parents by pestering or nagging.

Opinions:

• Advertising should be regulated by governments.
• Advertisements that target children should be banned.
• Packaging for junk food should display clear health warnings.
• Overall, advertising is necessary but it needs to be controlled.

Comments

[Do Van Long]

Hi Simon,

When talking about an age group, could I use the following phrases:
1. The age group of 30
2. The 30 year-old group
3. The group of age 30
4. at age 30 or at the age of 30

Are there any phrase which we can use to express an age group?

Thanks in advance

[Simon]

Hi Do Van Long,

I'd write:

- People aged 30...
- (The) 30-year-olds...
- People who are 30 years old...
- At age 30 / At the age of 30 (number 4 in your list)
- The group of people aged 30...

It's difficult to use "age group" with the number. I'd use age group when speaking in general e.g. "The chart shows different age groups" or "people in the first age group..."

In your list, number 4 is good, but I wouldn't use the others.

Hope this helps

Simon

[Chutarrat]

Hello Simon,
Thank you for your E-book.Your web site and your E-book are really practical.Now I am practicing the PROBLEM/SOLUTION AND DISCUSSION ESSAYS.I would like to ask ,do you have any example of full essay for these kind of question?

One more question..the word "ESSAY"

Should I write two essays or two essaies? I am confuesed.

Regard

[Simon]

Hi Chutarrat,

I'm glad you like the ebook.

I haven't written a problem/solution essay for the website yet, but there is a discussion essay in the lesson linked below:

http://ielts-simon.com/ielts-help-and-english-pr/2010/03/ielts-writing-task-2-sample-essay-higher-education.html

I'll try to do a problem/solution essay soon.

Regards

Simon

PS. We write "essays".

[Tran Manh Quoc Huy]

Hi Simon,

I had already bought your ebook and receive it last week.I have a question for you in Topic Advertising.

You suggest some disadvantages of Advertising but I do not think it is not good.

Can you determine some ideas especially:

"Advertisers focus on selling a brand image.
We are encouraged to associate certain brands with higher status"

Why is this bad?

Hope your reply...
Thanks

[Simon]

Hi Tran,

I answered your email.

[Khalid]

Hi Simon,
I have bought your ebook and receive it last night.I have a question about topic Advertising.

Negative!!Why?
Advertisers focus on selling a brand image.
We now live in a consumer culture.
We are encouraged to associate certain brands with higher status

[Simon]

Hi Khalid,

You could argue that those things are negative because they do not improve the quality of the things we buy. For example, some makers of clothing sell very expensive products that are no better than cheaper clothes - people are manipulated or encouraged to buy these products only because of the power of advertising.

[Bhupen]

Is it correct to say as a positive of advertisement: "Advertisements in public interest run on TV are given by various government agencies or NGOs." For example, in Australia we daily see on regarding smoking - "Every Cigarette you don't smoke makes your will power more stronger"

[sathi]

Hi Simon and All, I have tried to write a full essay by using ebook, comments are welcome...

Q2:advertising:
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?

It is true that nowadays advertising manipulates people to buy more through their powerful marketing strategy and most of the time these are not very useful products. Although advertising has some benefits, personally I agree with the above statement.

On the one hand, today to some extent, advertisements are necessary in the free market economy. There are several reasons for that. Firstly, it is the key part of modern business because companies need to tell the customers about their products so that they can sell these. Secondly, advertising helps us to know the choices we have, without it we would have less choices. Finally, it is a creative industry and also a form of modern art that employs many people, if there is no advertising facilities unemployment rate will be higher.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that advertisers aims to persuade people to buy more products in order to be happy although these are not in the real need. Moreover, they are selling some brand images and we are encouraged to associate with certain products for higher status. Even they use glamorous and successful persons to convey the trends to us. As for example, some textile companies who are known as a brand are selling ordinary clothes at high prices because of their name only. That’s why I would argue that advertisers lead us to live a consumer culture rather than to think about the actual necessities of the society.

In conclusion, I think advertisings should be regulated in order to improve society economy and to get rid of from those consumerism trends which are created by advertisements.

[Fariha]

that's really a nice essay.keep it up.

[Ling]

Dear Simon,

Since many folks find your e-books pretty practical, effective and helpful,this may cause a problem that a lot of exam-takers use similar/your ideas. Can we directly use your ideas in the exam? Is there a risk of commiting plagiarism.
Thank you.
Ling

[Kyle]

Dear Simon,

I have bought your ebook recently, I would like to ask about something that confused me. Should we write "We were persuaded to follow the latest trends." and "We were encouraged to...." as we are using passive voice in both sentence. Or it is because we are telling the truth, so we should use present tense "We are persuaded to follow...". I am not sure which one is right, please help!

Thank you very much and I found your ebook contains lot of great materials.

Regards,
Kyle

[Ahmed]

Hi Simon,
I'm wondering if I can mention a name of company as an examples . For instance, Nike or so on ?

[Simon]

Yes, you can. It's a good idea to mention names when you're giving an example - this makes your examples more real and convincing.

[Manish patel]

I have no idea for e book and how is harmful for human please give me some tips ..