Provocative Adverts have No Place in a Civilised Society - IELTS Writing Task 2

In today’s advertising world, companies constantly push creative boundaries to capture public attention. From controversial imagery to emotionally charged slogans, marketing campaigns increasingly influence how people think, behave, and form opinions. This makes one of the recent IELTS topics in Writing Task 2, ‘Provocative Adverts have No Place in a Civilised Society’, which revolves around the debate about provocative advertisements relevant for IELTS, as it brings together issues of ethics, freedom of expression, public morality, and commercial responsibility.

In this article, we examine sample answers for the IELTS discussion essay on the topic ‘Provocative Adverts have No Place in a Civilised Society’, along with an outline and relevant IELTS vocabulary to help you craft a well-structured Band 7+ discussion essay.

Essay Question for ‘Provocative Adverts have No Place in a Civilised Society’

Outline for IELTS Discussion Essay

Given below is the outline that will help you to understand how to write an IELTS discussion essay with opinion, like ‘Provocative Adverts have No Place in a Civilised Society’.

Sample Answers for Provocative Adverts have No Place in a Civilised Society IELTS Writing Task 2

You will find three IELTS Band 9 essay samples on the topic ‘Provocative Adverts have No Place in a Civilised Society’ below. They will help you in writing your own essay and achieving a high score.

Provocative Adverts have No Place in a Civilised Society - Sample Answer 1

Advertisements are designed to lure consumers’ attention and induce them to buy the product by creating a need for it. To achieve this aim, advertisers resort to utilising provocative text or imagery, which has garnered much debate regarding whether or not such advertisements have a place in contemporary polite society. There are pros and cons to this issue which shall be discussed in the following paragraphs.

Firstly, instigating advertisements often end up spreading problematic messages to the audience and are often derogatory. An example of this would be a recent deodorant advertisement that sparked much criticism for disparaging women and was subsequently removed. Advertisements of such a nature inadvertently end up fuelling discrimination and hurting people’s sentiments. In an attempt to get conversions, subversive advertisements may also misinform their audience about their product. For example, several advertisements have used sex appeal to promote their products and make it seem that the people using their products would appear desirable. However, this is inaccurate and conveys a wrong impression to the audience.

However, there are some advantages to provocative advertisements. One benefit is that they can come in handy in generating people’s interest in a product in a very short period of time by capitalising on the ‘shock value’. They are useful in drawing people’s attention and sparking conversations about products or services and boosting their popularity in the eyes of society. They can also be used to generate awareness about issues by capturing people’s attention effectively.

To sum up, I would like to state that there are both merits and drawbacks of using provocative advertisements to sell products in society. However, offending people’s sentiments to sell a product should not be condoned and such advertisements should undergo regulation before they are released to the public.

Provocative Adverts have No Place in a Civilised Society - Sample Answer 2

Provocative advertisements have long sparked debate regarding their influence on public attitudes and behaviour. While supporters may argue that such adverts simply reflect creative freedom, I firmly believe they hold very little place in a civilised and socially responsible society. This is because they often perpetuate harmful stereotypes, manipulate vulnerable audiences, and distort societal values. The following paragraphs will explore these ethical and social implications in greater depth.

To begin with, many controversial adverts rely heavily on sexualised, sensational, or emotionally charged imagery to capture attention. Although this may be effective from a marketing perspective, it can normalise inappropriate behaviour and gradually desensitise viewers, particularly impressionable children and teenagers. For example, several clothing and cosmetic brands routinely employ hyper-sexualised portrayals of both men and women, reinforcing unrealistic beauty standards and the idea that physical appearance determines one’s value. Such content has been linked to declining self-esteem, heightened anxiety, and body-image dissatisfaction among adolescents. 

Furthermore, bold advertising has historically been a catalyst for social progress. Campaigns addressing gender inequality, racism, or mental health frequently rely on bold and emotional imagery to compel audiences to reflect on societal issues. For example, certain global campaigns featuring controversial visuals successfully raised awareness about violence against women. Without such provocative elements, important messages may go unnoticed in the crowded advertising landscape. Thus, when used for constructive purposes, these adverts can elevate public consciousness and stimulate social reform.

In conclusion, while advertising undeniably plays an important role in the modern economy, provocative adverts risk undermining societal values by promoting unhealthy ideals, reinforcing stereotypes, and fuelling cultural conflict. Public messaging should be governed by responsibility, fairness, and respect, principles that most provocative advertising ultimately fails to uphold.

Provocative Adverts have No Place in a Civilised Society - Sample Answer 3

The rise of provocative advertising has raised significant questions about its suitability in modern societies. While some argue that such campaigns can generate awareness and stimulate important public conversations, others believe they pose considerable ethical risks. This essay will examine both perspectives before presenting my own balanced viewpoint.

On the one hand, bold adverts can serve as highly effective tools for drawing attention to urgent social, health, and environmental issues. Public awareness campaigns, such as those targeting smoking, or drunk driving, often rely on graphic or emotionally unsettling imagery to convey the severity of the problem. For example, anti-smoking advertisements showing diseased lungs or victims struggling to breathe have been proven to discourage tobacco use and save lives. Likewise, human rights organisations sometimes use intense visuals depicting poverty, abuse, or discrimination to generate empathy and encourage public support. In such contexts, shock value is not a marketing gimmick but a strategic method to make individuals confront uncomfortable realities that they might otherwise ignore. 

On the other hand, the commercial misuse of controversial advertising raises serious ethical concerns. Many companies employ shock tactics solely to increase sales or gain visibility in competitive markets, without considering the psychological impact on consumers. Sexualised imagery, discriminatory jokes, or deliberately offensive portrayals can undermine cultural values and influence‌ impressionable young people. These adverts may normalise inappropriate behaviour, reinforce harmful stereotypes, or contribute to body-image issues and social conflict. Additionally, what one group views as edgy or humorous may be deeply offensive to another, leading to public backlash and a loss of trust in brands. 

In conclusion, while provocative adverts can play a constructive role in conveying critical messages and prompting social awareness, their misuse by commercial entities creates avoidable ethical dilemmas. Therefore, an approach that encourages responsible creativity while enforcing appropriate regulations is the most suitable solution for a civilised and culturally diverse society.

Vocabulary to Use for Provocative Adverts have No Place in a Civilised Society - IELTS Writing Task 2

Below are some good vocabulary words to use in an IELTS essay, like ‘Provocative Adverts have No Place in a Civilised Society’, which will help you when framing your answer for this or related topics.

To conclude, for topics like ‘Provocative adverts have no place in a civilised society’, whether you support, oppose, or partially accept such advertising, the key to a high-band essay is constructing balanced arguments and using precise, topic-appropriate IELTS Academic high-frequency vocabulary words. Understanding how advertising shapes public behaviour will help candidates deliver insightful and well-structured responses.

Useful Links:

• Some People Say that Advertising is Extremely Successful- IELTS Writing Task 2
• IELTS Writing Task 2 Advantages and Disadvantages Essay Topic: Advertisements are becoming more and more common in everyday life
• Methods Used in Advertising are Unethical and Unacceptable - IELTS Writing Task 2
• People’s Lives are now Surrounded by Advertisement - IELTS Writing Task 2
• Successful Companies Use Advertisements to Make More Sales – IELTS Writing task 2
• How to Structure an IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay for Band 8+