Are Customers Becoming Too Demanding of Businesses?
A complete IELTS General Training Writing Task 2 question with a model answer of 319 words, plus a breakdown of the sentence structures, cohesive devices and vocabulary that answer uses. Write your own version first, then compare.
Written by Manish Sharma · CELTA and DELTA qualified · 8 years teaching IELTS
Score my answer to this questionThe question
You have 40 minutes. Write at least 250 words.
In recent years, customers have come to expect very fast delivery, very low prices, and almost instant responses from businesses. Some people believe these expectations have become unreasonable. To what extent do you agree or disagree? Write at least 250 words.
How to approach it
- 01State your position clearly in the introduction — 'largely agree' or 'partially agree' frames the essay
- 02Use specific company examples (Amazon, Uber, Deliveroo) to ground your claims
- 03Acknowledge the other side honestly — it strengthens your overall argument
- 04Show how customer expectations were shaped by business decisions — this nuance earns Task Response marks
- 05Use hedging language: 'largely', 'often', 'in many cases'
- 06End with a conclusion that names a specific solution, not just a restatement of your position
Model answer
319 words in 5 paragraphs. Read it after you have written your own, not before: the point of a model answer is to show you what you missed, and you cannot miss anything you have not attempted.
A generation ago, ordering a sofa meant waiting six to eight weeks and accepting that the price was the price. Today, the same customer expects free next-day delivery, a live chat agent available at midnight, and a price match against any rival within seconds. I largely agree that customer expectations have become unreasonable, although businesses themselves are partly responsible for setting them.
On one hand, modern customers genuinely have been spoilt by a small number of dominant platforms. Companies such as Amazon, Uber, and Deliveroo have normalised same-day delivery, instant refunds, and round-the-clock service, but they have done so by burning through billions in investor money, squeezing suppliers, and relying on a vast pool of low-paid gig workers. Smaller businesses cannot match these terms without either making losses or treating their staff poorly. When customers leave one-star reviews because a delivery was an hour late, or refuse to pay an honest price for handmade goods, they are effectively demanding that every retailer behave like a tech giant.
On the other hand, it is also true that customers have always wanted speed, choice, and good prices, and many of today's so-called excesses are simply a return on legitimate technological improvements. Email and live chat have made fast responses easy; logistics networks have made fast delivery cheap. Expecting businesses to use the tools they themselves have built is not unreasonable.
In my view, the real problem is that expectations are now driven less by what is genuinely possible and more by what the loudest platforms advertise. A healthier approach would be for both sides to recalibrate: businesses should resist promising what they cannot sustainably deliver, while customers should accept that quality, fair wages, and craftsmanship sometimes mean a wait.
In conclusion, I agree that customer expectations have drifted into unreasonable territory, but the solution lies as much with the businesses that set those expectations as with the customers who hold them.
What this answer actually does
Measured from the text above, and compared against the other 69 answers of the same type in this library. These are counts, not band scores: they describe what the writing does, which is the part you can copy.
28 more than the median answer for this task type
13 words at the shortest, 40 at the longest
1 more than the median answer for this task type
carry a subordinate or relative clause
Sentence rhythm
Sentences average 24.5 words and vary by 8.5 words either side of that, running from 13 words to 40. Variation is the point. Grammatical Range and Accuracy rewards a mix of simple and complex sentences, and an answer where every sentence is the same length reads as flat no matter how correct it is. 7 of the 13 sentences here carry a subordinate or relative clause.
The cohesive devices it uses
7 in total, spread across 5 different functions. Range matters more than count: an answer that opens every paragraph with a sequencer signals its structure but never signals a relationship between ideas, and Coherence and Cohesion is marked on both.
on the other hand, although, while
because
such as
next
in conclusion
Vocabulary and repetition
Ignoring grammar words, 84 per cent of the content words in this answer are distinct, and 75 per cent appear exactly once. Lexical Resource is where repetition costs the most marks, and the usual cause is not a small vocabulary but reaching for the same noun every time the topic is named.
The longest run of words copied straight from the question is 4 words. Examiners discount wording lifted from the question, so a short run here is the right outcome: the answer restates the topic in its own words rather than borrowing the question's.
What you are marked on
All four criteria carry equal weight, and your Writing band is their average rounded to the nearest half band.
Task Response
Take a clear position on whether customer expectations are unreasonable, with developed reasoning and acknowledgement of the opposing view.
Coherence & Cohesion
Use a clear introduction, balanced body paragraphs, and a conclusion with smooth transitions.
Lexical Resource
Use precise vocabulary for commerce, customer service, technology platforms, and labour practices.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Use a range of complex structures including concessive clauses, conditionals, and modal hedging.
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