Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
In recent times, many individuals visit renowned destinations to capture their photographs without knowing the importance of the place. This essay will argue that this phenomenon is driven by the desire for social media validation and conclude that it is a profoundly negative trend that erodes the true value of travel.
To commence with, the primary cause for this is that social media becomes the need of the hour; everything is done just for the sake of uploading on Facebook, Instagram and other social apps. This increases the number of followers on their list. Another reason for this is to make the storage of their memories by clicking them. So that when they feel alone and want to recapture the unforgettable moments, they do it with the help of those photographs.
Apart from these possible reasons, there are some disadvantages of this trend. Firstly by clicking the pictures without knowing the value of the surroundings is the greatest loss of their heritage and tradition, which plays the main role in the popularity of the place. Secondly, the historic and tourist destinations are very important for the financial growth of the country and if people do not know about them is also a great drawback .
To conclude,
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you identify the causes (social media validation and memory preservation) and state your position, the arguments are underdeveloped. The conclusion is incomplete, consisting only of the opening phrase, which prevents a full summary of your position. To improve, you must expand on your points with specific examples or deeper analysis to reach the required length and ensure all parts of the task are fully addressed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay uses basic cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Another reason', and 'Firstly'. While these help organize the text, the progression is interrupted by the abrupt ending. Paragraphing is present, but the lack of a completed conclusion makes the overall structure feel unfinished. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that ideas flow logically into one another with a wider variety of linking words and better referencing.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, using terms like 'renowned destinations', 'social media validation', and 'heritage and tradition'. However, there are some awkward collocations, such as 'make the storage of their memories by clicking them' and 'the greatest loss of their heritage'. The range is somewhat limited, and the vocabulary does not consistently demonstrate the precision required for higher bands. Expanding your range of academic collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing will help improve your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'social media becomes the need of the hour' (tense usage) and 'if people do not know about them is also a great drawback' (sentence fragment/structure error). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to affect the clarity of your arguments. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed correctly will improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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