Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-30

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)

Nowadays, many people around the world are visiting several famous places to take picture of themselves, without paying attention to the value of the place.

This has become a key feature of modern life, leading to both positive and negative outcomes. This essay will discuss the main reasons of this developemnt before presenting my own opinion on why it is important to know the true value of the place before taking selfies or random photographs.

On the one hand, a large number of people tend to travell to many famous places around the world jest to take selfies or pictures of the place, without paying attention to history of the location. This has become very popular amoung young people especially, and this trend have many reasons to it. For example, the social media platformes, famous bloggers and internet, those have changed the way of thinking in the new generation, causing several negative impact in the society.

For instance, a recent study conducted by Harvard University shows that 55 percent of the young generation are influenced by the new trends of social media and advertisements, They only travell to take photographs of themselves to put them on Facebook, Instagram, X...? and many others. It is a way to show off in front of friends or relatives, without enjoying the nature or the architecture of the location around them.

On the other hand, the negative use of adevtisements and social media, can cause several negative impact of society. This can affect negatively in the new generation.

In conclusion, although many people tend to take selfies while visiting famous places, many others believe that the true value of travelling is to know more about the place and study about different sides of the location. I stronly believe that the real amuse is to enjoy the importance of the place and enjoy the nature.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the reasons for the trend and the evaluation of whether it is positive or negative. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention social media as a driver, the explanation of why this is a negative trend is repetitive and lacks depth. For instance, the paragraph regarding the 'negative use of advertisements' is underdeveloped and does not fully explore the consequences of this behavior. To reach a higher band, you should provide more detailed reasoning and clearer examples to support your position throughout the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear introduction and conclusion. You use some cohesive devices like 'On the one hand' and 'For instance' to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by repetitive phrasing and a lack of sophisticated transitions. The connection between sentences in the second and third paragraphs is occasionally mechanical. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph flows naturally into the next would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'social media platforms' and 'architecture'. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'developemnt', 'travell', 'amoung', 'platformes', and 'adevtisements'. Additionally, some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'real amuse' in the conclusion. To improve, focus on accuracy in spelling and try to incorporate a wider range of less common vocabulary to express your ideas with more precision and sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'this trend have many reasons') and punctuation errors (e.g., the comma splice in 'advertisements, They only travell'). There are also minor errors with articles and prepositions. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and refining your use of complex sentence structures will help improve your score.

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

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