Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-15

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)

For the past few decades, a growing number of individuals visit renowned places to take photos of themselves overlooking the place. While this trend can allow visitors to create memories. I believe this is largely a negative trend that not only curtails the value of tourist attractions but also results in overcrowding at a particular place.

One contributing reason is that taking photographs without looking at the site can reduce its value. This approach leads to disgrace to public property because neglecting the value of tourist site can drop its overall positive experience. To exemplify, a large number of people gather at the Taj Mahal, in India simply to take selfies without exploring its area. Although capturing moments enables them to create memories of themselves, they often miss the opportunities to explore the historical landmarks. Consequently, an increasingly number of visitors take photographs overlooking its value.

Another significant factor is that gatherings of people at the tourist attractions can culminates in overcrowding. The trend is a negative development because a large number of individuals prepares to take photos instead of exploring well-known sites. A case in point is that, in India majority of people only visit Aganta Caves particularly to take pictures of themselves, which causes overpopulation at a historical place. In addition, if more and more people will gather at renowned place it will severely contribute to traffic congestion on main roads. As a result, it is apparent that individuals visit popular sites to take photographs without exploring the tourist place.

In conclusion, even though visitors who take photographs are increasing these days without fully exploring the renowned tourist destinations. I firmly believe this approach enables tourists to create unforgettable experience, it can have adverse affects on their overall visiting experience as it limits the value of tourist attractions and cause overcrowding.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for the trend and whether it is positive or negative. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the argument that taking photos reduces the value of a site is stated in the introduction, the first body paragraph, and the conclusion without significant expansion. While the examples (Taj Mahal, Ajanta Caves) are relevant, the explanation of why this is a 'negative trend' relies heavily on the idea of 'overcrowding' and 'disgrace to property' without exploring deeper sociological or psychological reasons. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more nuanced analysis rather than repeating the same points in different ways.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. Cohesive devices such as 'To exemplify', 'Consequently', and 'In addition' are used to link ideas. However, there are instances where the flow is slightly mechanical or awkward, such as the sentence fragment 'While this trend can allow visitors to create memories.' in the introduction. Additionally, the final paragraph contains a run-on sentence and a confusing structure where the writer contradicts their own position by stating the trend 'enables tourists to create unforgettable experience' immediately before concluding it has 'adverse affects'. Improving the logical flow between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'curtails', 'renowned', and 'adverse affects'. However, there are several collocation errors and word choice inaccuracies, such as 'leads to disgrace to public property' (should be 'disrespects' or 'devalues') and 'prepares to take photos' (should be 'intends' or 'focuses on'). The word 'affects' is used incorrectly as a noun instead of 'effects'. While the range is sufficient to communicate the message, the lack of precision in word choice prevents a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as 'an increasingly number of visitors' (should be 'an increasing number'), 'culminates in' (subject-verb agreement error with 'gatherings'), and 'if more and more people will gather' (incorrect conditional structure). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of full stops where commas should be used to connect dependent clauses. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points, they are frequent enough to indicate a lack of control over more complex grammatical forms.

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