IELTS Writing Task 2: consumer society

A few days ago, I looked at the question in this lesson with my students here in Manchester. The phrase 'consumer society' is a negative one because it suggests that our lives revolve around money and possessions.

Here's part of an essay that my students helped me to write:

It is true that many people criticize modern society because it seems to be too materialistic. I agree with this to some extent, but I do not think it is the case that everyone is a victim of consumer culture.

On the one hand, many people do seem to focus too much on money and possessions. Wherever we go, we are bombarded with advertising to sell us products and services, many of which we do not need. For example, people may be persuaded to purchase the latest model of iPhone, when their old phone is still perfectly functional. This could be seen as a demonstration that we are obsessive consumers; we buy things based on fashion and branding, and shopping has become a hobby or even an addiction.