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?

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It is true that we are increasingly surrounded by advertising by companies that want to sell us their
products
. To some
extent
Add a comma
extent,
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I agree that advertising has an impact on sales, but I would
also
argue that we do need most of the goods that we buy. 1. Advertisements can certainly tempt
people
to buy
products
that they might not
otherwise
want. 2. A good example could be the mobile phone. 3. Every year
people
can be seen queuing to buy the latest models, even when they already have a perfectly good phone that does not need replacing. 4. Perhaps it is the influence of marketing that leads us to make these kinds of decisions; we want to stay up to date with the latest fashions or own the newest high-status device. 5. The high sales of the iPhone seem to support
this
idea. 1.
On the other hand
, I believe that most
people
do not buy
products
because of the advertising alone. 2. There are other good reasons why we make these choices, and there must be some kind of need before a person makes a purchase. 3. New versions of
products
almost always have improved features that buyers may want. 4. A new car,
for example
, may have greatly improved safety features, or it may be more economical to run, or it may pollute less. 5. A new phone may allow the user to communicate more quickly or effectively,
thus
enhancing their quality of life. In conclusion,
while
advertising obviously influences our buying behaviour, I do not agree that
people
make decisions that go against their real needs.
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Structure your answers in logical paragraphs

The easiest way to score well on the IELTS Task 2 writing portion is to structure your writing in a solid essay format.

A strong argument essay structure can be split up into 4 paragraphs, each containing 4 sentences (except the conclusion paragraph, which only contains 3 sentences).

Stick to this essay structure:

  • Paragraph 1 - Introduction
  • Paragraph 2 - First supporting paragraph
  • Paragraph 3 - Second supporting paragraph
  • Paragraph 4 - Conclusion

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Topic Vocabulary:
  • consumer behavior
  • perceived need
  • lifestyle aspirations
  • brand image
  • prestige
  • psychological techniques
  • scarcity
  • social proof
  • celebrity endorsements
  • technological advancements
  • product innovations
  • emerging consumer needs
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