Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-09

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)

In this contemporary world, many people travelling to famous locations to capture photos of themselves without even doing research on that place. I personally believe that this is a negative flow of trend and will present the reasons of this ongoing trend in the upcoming paragraphs.

One of the most prominent reasons of occurrence of this trend is that the masses are getting lazy and avoid doing research before visiting the place therefore, the desired location sometimes results in a nightmare and they face serious trouble by doing this. Furthermore, the factor of assumption also leads to some serious consequences as many people just take a guess about the safety and reliability of particular place just because its famous and popular as they ignore all other possible consequences while planning.

Expanding further, globetrotting became a popular trend in recent times, this attract populace to visit many well-known places and click pictures there. Due to which, they plan their trips and holidays in rush without informing their parents or peers which also creates a tension between household environment. To cite an example, In 2019, cases of thefts and violence were reported at famous tourist place called Taj Mahal in Agra and many natives and travellers became the victim.

To recapitulate, after taking everything into consideration, this following trend holds numerous drawbacks yet it can be said that people should not visit popular tourist places without applying proper precautions and safety measures, and always do proper research of the surroundings to prevent disasters.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying reasons for the trend and expressing a clear negative stance. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the link between taking photos and 'laziness' or 'family tension' is asserted rather than logically explained. The example regarding the Taj Mahal is relevant but lacks a clear connection to the core issue of people failing to look at the place while taking photos. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the psychological or social motivations behind this behavior, such as the desire for social media validation, rather than focusing on general travel safety.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the flow between sentences is often mechanical. Phrases like 'Expanding further' and 'To recapitulate' are used, but the internal logic within paragraphs is weak. For example, the transition from the idea of 'laziness' to 'assumption' in the second paragraph is abrupt. Additionally, some cohesive devices are used incorrectly, such as 'this following trend,' which is awkward. Improving the use of referencing and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. You rely on some repetitive or imprecise phrasing, such as 'negative flow of trend' and 'famous tourist place.' While you attempt some topic-specific vocabulary like 'globetrotting' and 'precautions,' there are instances of awkward collocations, such as 'create a tension between household environment.' To improve, focus on using more sophisticated synonyms and ensuring that words are used in their correct context to convey your meaning more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You frequently omit articles (e.g., 'visiting the place,' 'at famous tourist place') and struggle with subject-verb agreement and tense consistency (e.g., 'globetrotting became a popular trend... this attract populace'). Some sentences are run-on or lack necessary punctuation, which makes them harder to read. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, particularly the use of articles and verb tenses, before attempting more complex structures. Proofreading for these small errors would lead to a higher score.

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

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