Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-07
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)
In the recent years, a lot of individuals visit famous tourist spots to capture photographs of themselves, without even looking at the place. This is mainly due to the excessive use of social media. In my opinion, this is resulting in a negative trend because it increases in social anxiety and stress levels.
To commence with, social media is the main culprit on why people are more keen to take photographs of themselves rather than enjoying the places. To expound, individuals tend to travel to famous spots to take photos to post on the internet to get more likes and show people how exciting their lives are. In addition, they show the luxurious lifestyle that they are experiencing to make people believe they have higher social standard among their friends and family. To cite an example, many people post their lifestyle or places they visited on application such as instagram to get likes and comments to let other people think they are enjoying their life to the fullest.
On the flip side, this trend has a negative impact on individuals as it can effect mental health. Social media increases stress and anxiety levels among them. People tend to believe everything that is posted online or on social media platforms. Resulting, in higher stress level as they want to compete with their friends and have a similiar lifestyle. This reduces the overall value of life as they are more focused on getting likes rather than enjoying the places. Moreover, people tend to waste a lot of money to make people believe they are living an extra ordinary life which can lead to financial problems in future.
In conclusion, social media plays an significant role in everbodys life but it should be used in a proper way so it does not impact your lifestyle and does not disrupt your mental health.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for the trend and the evaluation of whether it is positive or negative. The position is clear from the introduction. The ideas, such as the influence of social media and the pressure to maintain a specific image, are relevant and logically developed. However, the development could be more nuanced; for instance, the link between taking photos and 'social anxiety' is mentioned but could be explained with more depth regarding the psychological mechanism. Overall, the response covers all requirements of the task effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the reasons from the negative impacts. Cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'To expound', and 'On the flip side' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as the sentence fragment 'Resulting, in higher stress level', which disrupts the flow. Despite these minor issues, the progression of ideas remains clear throughout the text.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'tourist spots', 'luxurious lifestyle', and 'social media platforms'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'effect mental health' (should be 'affect') and 'higher social standard' (should be 'higher social status'). While the range is sufficient to convey meaning, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('in the recent years'), subject-verb agreement, and punctuation. For example, 'social media plays an significant role' should be 'a significant role', and the sentence 'Resulting, in higher stress level' is grammatically incomplete. These errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. A greater focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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