Band 8.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 8.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-17

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 8.0)

In recent years, an increasing number of tourists have become more interested in photographing themselves at famous landmarks than in experiencing the places they have travelled to visit. This shift can largely be attributed to the pervasive influence of social media and the growing tendency to document everyday experiences online. Although taking photographs can serve a legitimate purpose, I regard the tendency to prioritise self-presentation over genuine exploration as a predominantly negative development.

The foremost reason for this phenomenon is the pressure created by social media. Platforms such as Instagram and TikTok have transformed travel photographs into a form of social currency, with users often seeking likes, comments and recognition from their online audiences. Consequently, visiting an iconic location can become less about appreciating its historical or cultural significance and more about obtaining a visually impressive photograph to share online. In addition, smartphones have made photography virtually effortless, allowing tourists to capture and immediately publish images without having to make a conscious decision to document their surroundings.

This trend is concerning because it can fundamentally alter the purpose of travel. Rather than engaging with a destination's history, architecture, culture or natural environment, tourists may become preoccupied with creating content for their social-media profiles. For example, someone visiting a historically significant monument might spend considerable time positioning themselves for photographs while paying little attention to the site's history or significance. This not only makes the experience more superficial but can also mean that travellers return home having documented the visit extensively without having genuinely experienced it.

Nevertheless, photography itself should not be regarded as problematic. Taking a few photographs can help people preserve memories, share meaningful experiences with family and friends, and even encourage others to discover unfamiliar destinations. The problem arises when photography ceases to complement sightseeing and instead becomes its primary objective. A balanced approach, in which visitors take photographs while also putting their phones away and engaging with their surroundings, would allow them to enjoy the benefits of both.

In conclusion, the growing tendency to visit famous places primarily for photographs is largely driven by social-media culture and the convenience of smartphones. While taking pictures is a perfectly reasonable part of travelling, I believe that allowing the pursuit of online attention to overshadow genuine engagement with a destination is ultimately a negative trend. After all, the most valuable souvenir from a journey should be the experience itself, rather than merely a photograph proving that it happened.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

Javob topshiriqning har ikki qismini ham to'liq qamrab oladi. Siz ijtimoiy tarmoqlarning ta'siri va texnologiyaning qulayligini ushbu tendentsiyaning asosiy omillari sifatida aniq belgilaysiz. Bu salbiy rivojlanish ekanligi haqidagi pozitsiyangiz insho davomida izchil va yaxshi asoslangan. G'oyalar mantiqiy ravishda kengaytirilgan, masalan, 'social currency' haqidagi muhokama va sayohat maqsadining o'zgarishi. Xulosa argumentlaringizni samarali umumlashtiradi va to'rtinchi xatboshida keltirilgan muvozanat tahlilga chuqurlik qo'shadi. Siz yaxshi rivojlangan va maqsadli argument bilan topshiriqning barcha talablariga javob berdingiz.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

Insho g'oyalarning mantiqiy rivojlanishini namoyish etadi. Har bir xatboshi aniq markaziy mavzuga ega va xatboshilar o'rtasidagi o'tish ravon. Siz 'Consequently', 'In addition', 'Nevertheless' va 'After all' kabi turli xil bog'lovchi vositalardan samarali foydalanasiz, bu o'quvchini argumentingiz bo'ylab yo'naltirishga yordam beradi. Havolalar aniq va xatboshilardan sabablarni, salbiy oqibatlarni va fotografiyaga nisbatan nozik qarashni ajratish uchun o'rinli foydalanilgan. Tuzilma butun matn davomida izchil va professional.

Lexical Resource — Band 8.0

Siz keng va murakkab lug'at boyligini namoyish etasiz. 'pervasive influence', 'social currency', 'fundamentally alter' va 'superficial' kabi iboralar aniq va to'g'ri kontekstda ishlatilgan. Til tabiiy va aniq bo'lib, yuqori darajadagi nazoratni ko'rsatadi. So'z tanlash yoki kollokatsiyada sezilarli xatolar yo'q va lug'at boyligi IELTS inshosining rasmiy ohangiga juda mos keladi. Siz murakkab g'oyalarni ravshanlik bilan yetkazish uchun kamroq uchraydigan so'zlardan muvaffaqiyatli foydalanasiz.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

Insho yuqori aniqlikdagi murakkab grammatik tuzilmalarning keng doirasini namoyish etadi. Siz ergash gaplar, shartli tuzilmalar va turli xil gap uzunliklarini samarali aralashtirib ishlatasiz. Masalan, 'Rather than engaging with a destination's history... tourists may become preoccupied...' gapi yaxshi qurilgan. Tinish belgilari murakkab g'oyalarni boshqarish uchun to'g'ri ishlatilgan. Gaplaringizning aksariyati xatosiz va yuz berishi mumkin bo'lgan bir nechta kichik xatolar tizimli emas va muloqotga hech qanday to'sqinlik qilmaydi. Grammatika ustidan nazoratingiz a'lo darajada.

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.