Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

In recent times, many people have formed the habit of visiting famous places to take beautiful pictures of themselves without taking the time to fully appreciate the environment or indulge themselves with relevant information about the area, for growth and potential.

First, I am of the opinion that the major reason for this negligence is the lack of an inquisitive mind that seeks to learn and properly get educated about the culture and environment where they are found. They mostly just admire the ephemeral things that add colour to their self image without paying any attention to the rich history of the area.

Moreso, the over-dependence on digital devices has eroded the quest for personal touch in information gathering. Unlike in the past where individuals are excited to speak with locals, especially the elderly ones who are blessed with the knowledge of history and first-hand experience of a community, people are now more concerned about the aesthetics that will give them large followers on social media without proper documentation.

Furthermore, the current economic reality presents a major challenge to how much people can fully immerse themselves in learning and seeking to discover the potentials that a location holds. For instance, a person who has limited funds to travel and spend more than a day in another city or country may not have ample time to fully discover all the exciting things about the place they have visited. It may even come at an extra cost to be shown some exquisite locations that may attract their curiosity, hence, such individual might settle for just taking pictures to take in as much memory as they are afforded at that time with the hope of perhaps returning at another time for a full, exclusive experience.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for the trend and whether it is positive or negative. However, the position on whether it is a positive or negative trend is not explicitly stated in the introduction or clearly maintained throughout. While the essay discusses why people take photos, it fails to provide a clear, balanced evaluation of the trend's impact. The ideas are relevant, but the development is somewhat uneven; the third paragraph introduces economic constraints, which feels slightly tangential to the core issue of social media-driven behavior. To reach a higher band, ensure your position is clearly stated in the introduction and consistently supported.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. Cohesive devices such as 'First,' 'Moreso,' and 'Furthermore' are used to guide the reader through the arguments. However, the progression of ideas is occasionally mechanical. For instance, the transition between the lack of an inquisitive mind and the reliance on digital devices could be smoother. Referencing is generally clear, but some sentences are slightly long and complex, which occasionally impacts the flow. Overall, the structure is coherent, and the paragraphing is appropriate for the task.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and demonstrates a good range, including phrases like 'ephemeral things,' 'over-dependence,' and 'fully immerse themselves.' There is an attempt to use less common lexical items, which is successful in most contexts. However, there are minor issues with collocation and word choice, such as 'indulge themselves with relevant information' or 'add colour to their self image,' which sound slightly unnatural. Despite these minor inaccuracies, the range is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over grammar, and most sentences are error-free. However, there are occasional slips, such as 'where individuals are excited' (should be 'were excited' to match the past tense context) and 'such individual might settle' (should be 'such an individual'). Punctuation is generally accurate, but some sentences are slightly clunky. The grammatical control is sufficient to ensure that communication is never impeded, and the variety of structures used is adequate for this level.

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.