Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-22
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 6.5)
It is evident that taking photographs at renowned places without considering the actual spot is becoming increasingly prevalent among many people in this modern world .This essay will examine the principal causes associated with this trend and its pessimistic repercussions in upcoming paragraphs.
To begin with, the growing popularity of social media platforms is one of the significant reason of this phenomenon. To elaborate it, many individuals visits the well - known tourist attractions with the solo intention of taking pictures to upload on online websites to secure more likes, comments and follower list.
Therefore, their main aim is to upgrade their social status. Moreover, the widespread use of smartphones is the another factor contributing to this shift.Having high-quality device assist individuals in collecting pictures conveniently and instantly. As a result, their main focus is on capturing and uploading photos on internet rather than focusing on actual place they are visiting.
However, I believe this is a negative development because it obscure people from gaining knowledge about the history and culture of the landmark they visit. Instead of exploring the actual spot and its panoramic views masses are more concerned in taking selfies and creating attractive posts for social media accounts.Aggravating this pattern, it creates hurdles for those who actually come to spend the quality time at that particular spot.To exemplify, there are some people who still visits to learn about the place and love to enjoy the views but they are hindered by the avid photographers as they are always busy in capturing everything into camera so they block the ways for others which sometimes seems frustrating.Consequently, it reduces the overall value of travelling.
To conclude, the popularity of social media and modern technology has made people increasingly interested in photographing themselves at tourist attractions. Nevertheless, I consider this a negative tendency as it may prevent them from fully experiencing and appreciating these destinations.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for the trend (social media and smartphone technology) and the writer's opinion (it is a negative trend). The position is clear throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While the reasons are relevant, they could be expanded with more depth or specific examples beyond general statements. For instance, the discussion on 'social status' is a good point but remains brief. The essay covers all requirements of the task well, but the depth of analysis keeps it from reaching the highest band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the causes from the consequences. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', 'However', and 'To conclude' are used to guide the reader through the argument. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing and sentence-level cohesion, such as the slightly awkward phrasing in 'To elaborate it'. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate and appropriate for the task. The writer uses some good topic-specific collocations like 'renowned places', 'tourist attractions', and 'panoramic views'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'pessimistic repercussions' (which is slightly unnatural in this context) and 'the another factor'. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly, but it lacks the sophistication and precision required for a higher band score. The repetition of 'main focus' and 'main aim' also limits the lexical variety.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('many individuals visits', 'some people who still visits') and article usage errors ('the another factor', 'the internet'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. The writer attempts complex structures, but the control is inconsistent. To improve, the writer should focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, as these are frequent, non-systematic errors that prevent the response from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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