Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-01

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 5.5)

Nowadays many people go to famous places only for take photos. They do not see the place carefully. They take selfie and put pictures on social media. I think this is happening because many people want likes and show other people they visit famous places.

In my opinion, this is a negative trend. People spend more time with mobile phone and less time enjoying the place. They do not learn about history or culture. They only take many photos and leave. Sometimes they make crowd and disturb other visitors.

For example, my friend visited a famous park. He take many selfies but he did not know anything about the park. He only upload pictures on Facebook. I think this is not good because travel is for learning and enjoying, not only for photos.

In conclusion, people visit famous places for social media. I think it is a bad trend because they forget the real purpose of travelling.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt by identifying reasons for the trend and expressing a clear opinion. However, the response is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which severely limits the development of ideas. The arguments are presented in a very basic manner, lacking the depth and extension required for a higher band. Because the word count is only 157 words, the response is underdeveloped, and the points are not fully supported with sufficient detail or sophisticated examples. To improve, you must expand on your ideas by providing more context, analysis, and detailed explanations for each point raised.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into short paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the basic structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is very limited and repetitive. For example, the frequent use of 'They' to start sentences makes the flow feel mechanical. There is a lack of sophisticated linking words or transition phrases to connect ideas between and within paragraphs. To improve, you should use a wider variety of cohesive devices such as 'consequently', 'furthermore', or 'in contrast' to create a smoother logical progression of ideas throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, which is sufficient for simple communication but lacks the range needed for higher bands. Phrases like 'take photos', 'famous places', and 'bad trend' are used repeatedly. There is little evidence of less common lexical items or an awareness of collocation. To improve, you should aim to incorporate more precise vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'cultural heritage', 'superficial engagement', or 'digital validation', and avoid repeating the same simple verbs and adjectives throughout your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response relies almost entirely on simple sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'only for take photos' (should be 'only for taking photos'), 'He take many selfies' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'They make crowd' (article usage). While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of complex sentence structures and the presence of frequent errors in basic grammar prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on mastering subject-verb agreement, correct verb forms, and incorporating a variety of complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses or conditional sentences.

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