Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-26

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)

These days people go to trips local and foreign and instead of just living in the moment and enjoy the serenity of the place, they prefer to capture the moment through their cell phone and video cameras.

While taking a trip to beautiful hilly areas and waterfalls, instead of living in the moment and enjoy the nature at its peak far away from the smoke and dust of urban cities, people have developed a habit of capturing the nature through their smartphones camera and post those pictures online to gather likes so that they are not left behind the race.

I happen to commit this crime myself recently while I visited the Mushkpuri Top in Northern areas of Pakistan. Though, I wanted to enjoy the serenity of the place and sometimes I would just sit on the grass and hills and enjoy the cloudy mountain top, when I would see the public around capturing moments and making reels, I would try to capture my own selfies and photographs of the top.

What I noted, no matter how much excellent camera you would have, no amount of pictures would do justice to the natural lenses of our eyesight and I would not be able to capture the accuracy of the moment and instead the time will pass and the moment will pass. The moment I could have enjoyed just sitting there and I wasted the time in trying to capture it.

However, when I came back and social media algorithm did its thing and showed me other hilly areas pictures, wanted to visit those places as well. But If those people had not captured those moments and posted there online, I would not have been tempted to visit those areas.

Therefore, I think although It is a good thing that we should try to live in that moment when we reach there but once in a while capturing it should not be a sin so that other people could also be tempted to visit and enjoy the nature there.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for the trend (social media validation and the 'fear of missing out') and the evaluation of whether it is positive or negative. The position is clear, though the argument is somewhat personal and anecdotal. While the ideas are relevant, they could be developed further with more analytical depth rather than relying heavily on a personal narrative. The conclusion provides a balanced view, acknowledging the negative impact on the individual experience while highlighting the positive role of photography in promoting tourism. To reach a higher band, ensure that the discussion remains focused on the broader social phenomenon rather than just personal experience.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally repetitive. For example, the transition between the personal anecdote and the broader argument could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, but some sentences feel disconnected, such as the sudden shift in the fifth paragraph regarding social media algorithms. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring a more seamless flow between ideas would enhance the coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at more sophisticated language, such as 'serenity' and 'natural lenses', which are used effectively. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'go to trips' instead of 'go on trips' and 'commit this crime' (which is used figuratively but is slightly unnatural in this context). The range is sufficient to communicate the message, but more precise and varied vocabulary would elevate the response.

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 'instead of living in the moment and enjoy' (should be 'enjoying') and 'no matter how much excellent camera you would have' (should be 'no matter how excellent a camera you have'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some awkward phrasings that slightly impede the flow. While the errors do not prevent understanding, they are frequent enough to keep the score in the mid-range. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and parallel structures would be beneficial.

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

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