This is a practice question for IELTS Writing Task 2.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
In the digital age, advertisers increasingly use personal data to create targeted advertisements. Some people argue that this practice helps consumers find relevant products and services more easily, while others believe it is an invasion of privacy and can manipulate consumer behavior.
Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
Sample answer outline:#
Introduction: Present the topic and state your position
Main body paragraph 1: Discuss arguments in favor of targeted advertising
Main body paragraph 2: Explore concerns about privacy and manipulation
Main body paragraph 3: Provide your own opinion and suggest potential solutions or compromises
Conclusion: Summarize main points and restate your position
Model answer (Band 8 style)
Write your own answer first, then compare structure and vocabulary. Task 2 · 264 words.
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When people browse the internet, they increasingly see advertisements based on their searches, location and online behaviour. Some argue that this targeted advertising helps consumers find relevant products, while others regard it as an invasion of privacy that manipulates behaviour. In my view, targeted advertising has some benefits, but in its current form the risks outweigh them.
Supporters of targeted advertising argue that it is more useful than traditional advertising. Instead of seeing random adverts, consumers are shown products related to their interests, such as running shoes after searching for marathon training. This can save time and help people discover small businesses that would otherwise struggle to reach customers. Targeted adverts also fund many free online services, from search engines to social media.
However, the practice raises serious concerns. To target adverts, companies collect detailed information about people’s browsing habits, purchases and even health or financial situation, often without users fully understanding or agreeing to it. This data can be sold, leaked or misused. Moreover, highly personalised adverts can exploit people’s vulnerabilities, for example by targeting gambling promotions at people with addiction problems or pushing expensive loans to those in debt.
I believe the solution is stronger regulation rather than a complete ban. Companies should be required to obtain clear consent before collecting personal data, explain how it is used, and avoid targeting vulnerable groups. Users should also be able to opt out easily.
In conclusion, targeted advertising can make online shopping more convenient, but because it relies on extensive data collection and can manipulate consumers, it must be tightly regulated to protect privacy.
Task Response
Both views are discussed with concrete examples, and the opinion is supported by a practical regulatory solution.
Coherence & Cohesion
Clear contrast and cohesion: “Instead of…”, “However, the practice raises serious concerns”, “Moreover”.
Lexical Resource
Digital vocabulary: browsing habits, personalised adverts, exploit vulnerabilities, obtain clear consent, opt out.
Grammatical Range
Accurate passives (“are shown”, “can be sold”), infinitives of purpose and relative clauses.
Want your own writing scored? Paste it into the Worddemy App and get a band score with feedback on all four criteria.
Evaluation criteria:#
Task Achievement
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Check out other writing practices: Language Preservation and Business Ethics