Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-05

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

More and more people nowadays visit well-known places to take photographs of themselves, without looking at the place.

Why do you think this is happening?

Is it a positive or a negative trend?

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

Student answer (Band 6.5)

In the contemporary world, people are keen to click photos and selfies, so they do not focus on the travel destination they are visiting. This happens because of social media and I think it has a negative impact.

The main reason is social media like Instagram and TikTok. Some are influencers or YouTubers; they just want content to post and get 'likes' in the millions. For Instance, content makers went to temples such as the Golden Temple just to make a post and earn money in dollars. As a result, they become famous with these selfie-centric skills.

On the other hand, behind this photography are two disadvantages. The first one, people do not learn anything about the place they are visiting; they just focus on photos. Because of that, they do not know about the history and culture hidden behind that particular place. Secondly, selfie-takers block the view and create an unwanted crowd at the place. To illustrate, according to the Times of India, individuals went to Jalawalla Wagh, located in India, Punjab. More than half of the people were there to click a photo; they were not interested in reading the history on the bullet board or historical items.

In conclusion, although in the modern world people focus more on photography skills instead of learning about the place, it's all because of the internet, and it has a negative effect, which makes individuals illiterate regarding the history topics of that place. This trend also increases the crowd at those well-known places.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both questions: social media is identified as the main cause, and your position that the trend is negative is clear in the opening and conclusion. The discussion of lost learning and crowded viewpoints is relevant, and the Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh examples help illustrate your points. This meets the task well, while showing some of the fuller development expected at the next level. In particular, the explanation of why people seek likes and money is brief, and the claim that selfie-takers become “famous” is not clearly connected to the effects on visitors or places. Develop this cause-and-effect reasoning and explain more precisely how the examples support your argument.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph explaining the cause, a paragraph outlining two disadvantages, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “The main reason,” “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “In conclusion” makes the progression easy to follow. This is a coherent structure, with some effective linking, though cohesion is occasionally mechanical or unclear. For example, “On the other hand” suggests a contrast, but the paragraph continues the same negative position; “behind this photography” is also an unclear reference. Use transitions that show the actual relationship between ideas, and connect each example explicitly to the point it illustrates. This would make the flow more flexible and precise.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic, including “influencers,” “content makers,” “historical items,” and “selfie-takers,” and the reader can understand your main points. There are also attempts at more specific language, such as “selfie-centric skills.” However, some choices are imprecise or unnatural: “click photos” is less idiomatic than “take photographs,” and “illiterate regarding the history topics” does not accurately express that visitors miss learning about a place. “Bullet board” is also unclear in the context of Jallianwala Bagh. Aim for precise collocations and avoid using a sophisticated-sounding phrase if its meaning is uncertain. More accurate topic vocabulary would help you express the ideas with greater flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including the reason clause “This happens because of social media” and the relative clause “which makes individuals illiterate…”. Meaning is generally clear, and errors rarely prevent understanding. Some grammatical and punctuation issues remain, however. “The first one, people do not learn…” is an incomplete construction; write “The first disadvantage is that people do not learn…”. In “Some are influencers or YouTubers; they just want…,” the semicolon joins closely related independent clauses, but the sentence could be more smoothly controlled with a conjunction. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, as in “For Instance.” Work on complete sentence patterns and consistent punctuation while continuing to use varied structures.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.