Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-13

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 times, it has been seen that a large number of individuals go to famous travel attractions just to capture their pictures and fail to pay attention to the surroundings. The driving factors behind the trend are the impact of social media and changing attitudes of the demographics.

The primary catalyst is a significant impact of social media on people's lives. When individuals see pictures of their friends showing off visiting famous hotspots on their social media accounts, they want to imitate the same and plan their trips to similar travel spots. Instead of experiencing the ambience of the place, they are more interested in collecting proof of their visit to famous destinations, so that they can upload it on their social media account to satisfy their chase.

Another contributing factor is that travelling to exotic places has become a symbol of social status. This is because travelers consider it as an opportunity to show off their wealth rather than to get a riveting experience. In this process, they make a deep meaningful connection with the place and prioritize making reels or taking pictures as a memory of their expensive travel.

In my opinion, it is not a constructive development because it takes a traveler away from enjoying the true experience of visiting well-known places. The real purpose of travelling to such places should be to gain in-depth knowledge of the culture rather than waste time in taking pictures for social recognition. For instance, tourists visiting Niagara Falls should value the magnificence of the Falls rather than focusing on taking selfies to post on Instagram for social validation.

In conclusion, the negative effect of social media on our lives and a rat-race culture are the plausible reasons for this trend, which is not fruitful in my opinion.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all parts of the prompt, providing clear reasons for the trend and a definitive stance on whether it is positive or negative. Your ideas are relevant and logically developed. For instance, you explain the role of social media as a catalyst and the concept of travel as a status symbol. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are fully explored; for example, the third paragraph contains a slight contradiction where you mention making a 'deep meaningful connection' while discussing the superficial nature of taking photos. Clarifying this would strengthen your position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and you use cohesive devices such as 'The primary catalyst,' 'Another contributing factor,' and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. To improve, try to vary your linking phrases and ensure that the progression between sentences within paragraphs is smoother. For example, the link between the social status argument and the 'meaningful connection' sentence could be more tightly connected to avoid confusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'primary catalyst,' 'exotic places,' and 'social validation' are used effectively. There are some minor issues with collocation and word choice, such as 'make a deep meaningful connection' in the context of taking photos, which sounds slightly unnatural. Additionally, 'chase' is used in a way that is not entirely clear in this context. Expanding your range of less common lexical items and ensuring they are used in the correct collocations will help you achieve a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, and your control of grammar is generally good. Most of your sentences are clear and error-free, which allows for easy reading. There are occasional minor errors, such as 'it has been seen that' (passive voice is a bit wordy) and 'waste time in taking' (should be 'waste time taking'). While you demonstrate the ability to use complex structures, increasing the variety of these structures and ensuring total accuracy in their application would elevate your writing to a higher band.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.