Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-05

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 6.0)

Nowadays, many tourists visit popular places to take selfies and post them on social media rather than exploring themselves. In this essay i will discuss why this trend is widely accepted ,and it negative trend because it reduces the quality of travel experiences.

One of the main reason of this phonomenon is the influence of social media. Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok and Facebook encourage people to share attractive photographs in order to gain likes and comments. As a result, many visitors unaware about the history and culture of such destination. To add to this, smartphones with digital cameras made photography more easier, allowing people to document every moment instead of fully knowing it.

This trend has more disadvantages than advantages. First, people always focused on taking pictures rather than experiencing the atmosphere of the place. Furthermore, this behaviour can make distractions for other tourists, especially crowded attractions by occupying popular photo spots for long periods. Although photographs are valuable for preserving memories and sharing experiencing with family and friends.

In my opinion, although taking photographs helps to preserve memories, this is mainly a negative trend because it reduces the quality of travel experiences.

In conclusion, taking selfies at famous places is mainly driven by social media and modern technology. While photography has some benefits, according to me it is negatively impact because it prevent people from explore such spots and may negatively affect other visitors.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying social media as a driver and arguing that the trend is negative. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of development. While the position is clear, the arguments are somewhat repetitive and lack detailed examples or personal anecdotes to fully support the claims. To reach a higher band, you must expand your points with specific illustrations and ensure the word count requirement is met to allow for a more thorough exploration of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore' and 'In conclusion' to link your points. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between sentences could be smoother. Additionally, the final paragraph is quite brief and repetitive of the introduction. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear, distinct focus would enhance the overall flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'phenomenon', 'distractions', and 'preserving memories'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'make distractions' instead of 'cause distractions' and 'negatively impact' used as a verb phrase where a noun or adjective might be more appropriate. The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. Expanding your repertoire of topic-specific collocations would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'one of the main reason' (should be 'reasons'), 'made photography more easier' (should be 'easier'), and 'it prevent people from explore' (should be 'prevents' and 'exploring'). These errors occur frequently enough to be noticeable but do not significantly impede communication. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of comparative adjectives and gerunds after prepositions.

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