Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-27

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 7.0)

The technology in this modern world has made a huge shift in the nature of visiting places. People are more worried about their social media posts than about consuming the beauty of the place. I think this is a negative trend, and it has started purely because of social media and technology.

The way of connecting to the world was made easier by social media, but things are not the same now. People have developed a dangerous habit of comparing themselves to other people on the internet. In this race of comparison, they forget to seize the moment in their own lives. They would visit the most beautiful places in the world but would be more worried about clicking pictures even before they admire the beauty of the place with their eyes. This happened to one of my friends; we went to Tokyo. My friend was most worried about the photos in Shibuya Crossing. I used to think that she just loved getting photographed, but upon having a conversation with her, I got to know that she was just after the photos because one of her idols had a photo in the same place. So, she just wanted to copy her pose and post it on her socials.

Another reason behind this trend is that people think that they need to capture themselves in the frame for memories. The memories are saved for the future, but in the real world, nobody ever goes back to those saved photographs and discusses the fun that they had. I would call this a taboo that has been set up in this world. Whenever we get back from our trips, nobody has enough time to review those sweet moments, and they end up sitting in our cameras, phones or reels. Unfortunately, I was a part of this trend too. I went to Paris and got millions of photos taken just to save them for my future self and completely forgot to enjoy the vibe of Paris. I ended up losing my camera and my photos as they were not backed up. I was so devastated as I lost the photos and also never had a nice experience, as I wasted my whole time taking photos.

Overall, I would blame social media and technology for this negative trend, as people want to showcase their lives more on social media rather than enjoying them in person.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for the trend and the evaluation of whether it is positive or negative. The position is clear from the introduction and maintained throughout. Ideas are well-developed, particularly the personal anecdotes regarding the friend in Tokyo and the author's own experience in Paris, which provide relevant support for the arguments. The response is fully focused on the topic, and the arguments are logically extended. The analysis of why this happens—social media comparison and the desire for future memories—is insightful and directly answers the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the transition between the reasons for the trend and the personal examples is smooth. Cohesive devices such as 'Another reason behind this trend', 'In this race of comparison', and 'Overall' are used effectively to guide the reader. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. While some transitions are slightly mechanical, the overall flow is coherent and easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to convey ideas with precision. The student uses some less common collocations and phrases such as 'seize the moment', 'consuming the beauty', and 'showcase their lives'. There are occasional minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as using 'taboo' to describe a social habit, which is not the most accurate term in this context. However, the range is adequate for the task, and the meaning is always clear. The student demonstrates a good ability to use topic-specific vocabulary related to social media and travel.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The student demonstrates a good control of grammar, using a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are frequent error-free sentences, and the punctuation is generally accurate. While there are occasional slips, such as 'The technology in this modern world has made a huge shift' (which is slightly unnatural) and 'the fun that they had', these do not impede communication. The use of complex sentences, such as 'I used to think that she just loved getting photographed, but upon having a conversation with her, I got to know that...', shows a good level of grammatical flexibility.

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