Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

You have organized to go on holiday with your friend. However, you must change your plans.

Write a letter to your friend. In your letter:

-tell them how much you are looking forward to the holiday

-explain why you must change your plans

-suggest alternative arrangements

Dear Jasmine,

I hope you're in radiant health and high spirits. I was really excited for our trip to Banff; however, an unavoidable circumstance has forced me to reschedule our plan.

Since our childhood, we have enjoyed so many international trips together, and we had created many memorable memories in which we had alot of fun together. Whenever, I see our pictures, I'm always having an adrealine rush for our upcoming tours.

Unfortunately, I have to change the plan at the last moment since my sister is pregnant, and I have to accompany her to the hospital. As the due date of the delivery clashes with the date of our trip, I won't be able to make it to this trip.

However, I believe that we can reschedule the holiday trip after three months because during that time my sister will be able to handle all the things on her own. I'm really sorry for the inconvenience. I'd be happy if you could send me few dates according to your flexibility for the month of November.

I really appreciate you understand my problem, and I hope to see you soon!

With love,

Jasnoor

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 2.0

The response is a significant failure in terms of task achievement because you have written a letter (General Training Task 1) instead of an essay (General Training Task 2). The prompt explicitly asked for an essay regarding the trend of people taking photographs at tourist sites. Because you addressed the wrong task entirely, the response is off-topic. Furthermore, the response is under the required word count of 250 words, which further impacts the score. To improve, ensure you carefully read the task instructions to identify whether you are writing a letter, a report, or an essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The letter is logically organized into clear paragraphs, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'however', 'since', and 'unfortunately' to link your sentences. While the structure is appropriate for a personal letter, the lack of relevance to the actual task prompt means that the coherence is applied to the wrong content. In an essay format, you would need to use more sophisticated linking words and transition phrases to connect arguments and supporting examples effectively.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary for a personal letter, using phrases like 'radiant health', 'high spirits', and 'unavoidable circumstance'. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'memorable memories' (which is redundant) and 'adrealine rush' (spelling error). The vocabulary is generally appropriate for informal communication but lacks the academic or formal register required for a Task 2 essay. Expanding your vocabulary to include topic-specific terminology would be necessary for a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response shows a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. You use complex sentences effectively, such as 'As the due date of the delivery clashes with the date of our trip, I won't be able to make it to this trip.' There are some grammatical slips, such as 'Whenever, I see our pictures' (incorrect comma usage) and 'send me few dates' (missing article 'a'). While these errors do not impede communication, the range of structures is limited to what is typical for a personal letter rather than an argumentative essay.

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

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