Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-08-18

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

In the future, more people will choose to go on holiday in their own country and not travel abroad on holiday. Do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 6.5)

Very soon, many people would rather spend their holidays in their home country than visit a foreign nation. I agree with this statement. Local holidays are much cheaper and stress-free.

Local holidays are cheaper. This is because, unlike holidays spent in a foreign country, which would require paying for flight as transport, booking and paying for accommodation and changing forex, Local holidays are spent in a familiar vicinity. This means they do not require spending much. For instance, a Nigerian citizen who wants to spend the summer in the United Kingdom would have to pay for an international flight, which costs around two million Naira, but a holiday within Nigeria would only cost a flight of around two hundred thousand Naira.

Furthermore, local vacations are less stressful. The stress involved in planning an international vacation is a lot. People who travel to foreign countries must first research the country they intend to travel to, source affordable and convenient accommodation, apply for visa to the country, change their money to the currency being spent in the country to be visited and get a tour guide to take them around the country. However, for a local vacation, the stress involved is limited. For instance, a Nigerian man who stays in Lagos and does his vacation in Lagos State does not need to apply for a visa, book a flight, or change the currency with him, since it is the same currency being spent in the whole of Lagos State.

In conclusion, very soon many people will opt to have their vacation in their own country rather than travelling abroad. I agree with this statement. Local vacations are cheaper and less stressful.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses the prompt clearly and maintains a consistent position throughout. The arguments regarding cost and stress are relevant and supported by specific examples, such as the comparison of flight costs in Nigeria. However, the development is somewhat repetitive; the essay focuses heavily on the logistical ease of local travel without exploring broader societal or environmental factors that might influence this trend. To reach a higher band, the ideas could be extended further by discussing the changing nature of tourism or the impact of global economic shifts, rather than just focusing on personal convenience.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic sentence, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'However', and 'For instance' are used effectively to link ideas. While the structure is sound, the transition between the two main body paragraphs could be more sophisticated. The referencing is generally clear, though the repetition of the phrase 'local holidays' or 'local vacations' at the start of sentences makes the flow feel slightly mechanical at times.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows for clear communication. You use some topic-specific terms like 'international vacation', 'accommodation', and 'currency'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a reliance on basic descriptors. To improve, you should incorporate more precise collocations and a wider variety of synonyms to avoid repeating 'local holidays' and 'stress'. For example, using terms like 'domestic tourism' or 'financial burden' would demonstrate a more sophisticated control of language suitable for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are grammatically accurate, and errors are rare and do not impede communication. For instance, the use of conditional structures and relative clauses is generally correct. However, there are minor issues with article usage and prepositional phrases, such as 'change the currency with him' which is slightly unnatural. To achieve a higher band, you should aim to incorporate a greater variety of complex grammatical structures, such as passive voice or inverted conditionals, while maintaining the current level of accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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