Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-07-26
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 7.0)
In recent years, it has become increasingly common for people to visit new places only for taking selfies and photos of themselves instead of focusing on beauty of the place, their history or culture. This trend is mainly driven by several factors such as social media addition. This essay will discuss the reasons behind this development and explain why I believe it is a negative development.
One major reason for this trend is social media. Nowadays, people are more getting addicted to social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Snapshot. This is because many people feel pressure to post and share their routine with their followers to collect likes and complements along with few more following requests. As a result, when they visit any place, they are more intrested in making reels and taking photographs to attract their peers, followers and friends rather than enjoying the natural view and beauty of it.
In my opinion, this is a negative development for several reasons. Firstly, people may miss the true value of that places along with its historical or cultural importance. For instance, I belong to a city which is known for its one of the biggest private residances in the world called Laxmi vilas palace. However, I am not fully aware of its history and culture as I visited it long back only for taking photographs and posting it on Instagram. Therefore, I believe that the overall impact of this trend is negative.
In conclusion, many people visit famous attractions to capturing selfies is becoming more common mainly because of social media pressure. I believe that this is a negative development because of this people are totally unaware of the true value of important places.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 7.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for the trend and the writer's opinion on whether it is positive or negative. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While the link between social media and the desire for validation is well-identified, the discussion on why this is a negative trend could be more deeply explored. The personal example provided is relevant but brief. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the consequences of this behavior, perhaps discussing the loss of cultural appreciation or the impact on the quality of the travel experience more broadly.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the reasons from the opinion. Cohesive devices such as 'In recent years', 'As a result', and 'Firstly' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For instance, the transition into the personal example in the third paragraph feels a bit abrupt. Overall, the information is presented in a coherent manner, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'increasingly common', 'validation', and 'historical or cultural importance'. There are some minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'addition' instead of 'addiction', 'complements' instead of 'compliments', and 'intrested'. Additionally, 'Snapshot' is likely a misuse of the brand name 'Snapchat'. While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise vocabulary usage and careful proofreading to reach the higher bands.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'people are more getting addicted' (incorrect verb form), 'one of the biggest private residances' (spelling and article usage), and 'to capturing selfies' (incorrect infinitive form). Despite these errors, the meaning is generally clear, and the errors do not cause difficulty for the reader. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of gerunds and infinitives after specific verbs or prepositions.
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