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)

Nowadays, I have observed more and more people travelling to different places just for photography without even looking or doing any research on it, this could be because of the high reach of today's technology like social media platforms.

In today's generation, everybody wants to compete with each other even with their friends in everything. There are always some people who are so engaged on social media where they want to post every thing about their life, where they are travelling, all different places via posting photographs and sharing with others. For instance, one of my friend she recently visited to a beautiful city and posted everything on Instagram's stories and posts, by looking at those I was feeling to visit that city next on my trips list. But that's not how it should work, one has to see it's pros and cons and every other possible things.

In my opinion, I don't think that's a correct way of planning things in life. It raises significant concerns about the superficiality and loss of genuine cultural appreciation. The focus on capturing the perfect shot diverts attention from the cultural and historical essence of these places, reducing travel to a shallow performance rather than a meaningful experience.

To conclude, I would say everyone should plan their travels according to their schedule and interest not by getting influenced

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying social media as a driver and expressing a clear negative stance. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of development. While the ideas are relevant, they are somewhat underdeveloped; for instance, the example of the friend is anecdotal and could have been expanded to better illustrate the broader societal trend. To reach a higher band, you must provide more substantial supporting arguments and ensure the conclusion is complete, as the current ending is cut off mid-sentence.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas from the causes to the personal opinion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and limited. For example, the transition between the second and third paragraphs is abrupt. Additionally, the final sentence is incomplete, which disrupts the overall coherence of the conclusion. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and phrases to connect sentences and paragraphs more fluidly, and ensure that every paragraph has a fully developed, grammatically complete conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the message to be conveyed clearly. You use some appropriate phrases like 'superficiality' and 'genuine cultural appreciation.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional errors in word choice, such as 'high reach of today's technology' (better: 'prevalence' or 'ubiquity') and 'one of my friend she' (grammatically redundant). To achieve a higher score, try to incorporate more precise, topic-specific vocabulary related to tourism, digital culture, and social behavior, and avoid repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'one of my friend she' (a double subject error), 'by looking at those I was feeling to visit' (awkward phrasing), and 'it's pros and cons' (incorrect use of the possessive 'its'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma splices in the first paragraph. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct use of possessives, and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed accurately without unnecessary repetition of subjects.

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

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