Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

In today's globalized world, many people prefer to make memories by taking photographs of renowned places without even knowing their exact historical details. It may be because they want to preserve cultural heritage, but this trend can have both positive and negative impacts.

To begin with, many people visit various places, sometimes historical ones, to maintain a connection to the past. For instance, many children nowadays are more inclined towards modernization, and they do not know the values of local customs and traditions from the past. Therefore, many parents use old photographs to educate their children and enhance their knowledge about how people used to live their lives.

Moreover, as the world is becoming more advanced, it is highly significant that people should move forward while still appreciating their national cultural treasures. Although this trend has a positive impact, it is equally important to recognize its potential negative consequences. For example, grandparents often teach traditional values and want their grandchildren to follow them by showing them various photographs and explaining their significance. Although these values have moral significance, forcing children to follow in the footsteps of previous generations might lead to negative consequences. Therefore, preserving old photographs is beneficial for creating memories, and they can also provide details about architectural landmarks and show what historical places looked like in the past.

In conclusion, I believe that preserving old photographs is highly beneficial for maintaining memories and educating young children. However, these photographs should not be used to force young individuals to imitate old lifestyles or follow traditional patterns without considering the changes in modern society.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt but struggles with focus. The task asks why people take photos of themselves at famous places without engaging with the location, and whether this is positive or negative. Your essay focuses heavily on the value of 'old photographs' and 'educating children about traditions,' which is only tangentially related to the phenomenon of 'selfie culture' at tourist sites. Because the core topic—the behavior of tourists taking photos of themselves rather than appreciating the site—is not fully explored, the development is limited. To improve, ensure your arguments directly address the specific behavior mentioned in the prompt rather than shifting the focus to general photography or family history.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with,' 'Moreover,' and 'In conclusion' to signal transitions. However, the logical progression within the paragraphs is sometimes weak because the ideas do not always connect back to the main prompt. For instance, the transition from the topic of tourist photography to the role of grandparents teaching values feels abrupt and lacks a clear logical link. Improving the flow between sentences and ensuring each paragraph stays strictly on the topic will help achieve a higher band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'globalized world,' 'cultural heritage,' and 'architectural landmarks.' However, the vocabulary is somewhat repetitive, and there is a lack of more sophisticated or precise collocations related to the specific topic of tourism or social media behavior. Some word choices are slightly imprecise, such as 'make memories by taking photographs,' which is understandable but could be more naturally phrased. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to modern travel trends and digital behavior.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay shows a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You use some complex sentences effectively, such as 'Although this trend has a positive impact, it is equally important to recognize its potential negative consequences.' While there are some grammatical errors, they do not impede communication. Most sentences are clear, and punctuation is generally handled well. To improve, focus on reducing minor errors in article usage and subject-verb agreement, and try to vary your sentence structure further to demonstrate greater control over complex grammatical forms.

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.