Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-01

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)

Majority of individuals recently visit popular places to capture some pictures of themselves without being aware of the environment. This essay will discuss why this is occurring and why i believe this is a negative trend.

Photographing oneself in a unknown location can lead to various criminal activities like abduction. For instance, my friend was kidnap when she went to shoot a birthday pictures in a hotel. Unknown to her, the location had a bad reputation on people going missing, they called me and demanded a ransom which was paid in cash and she was released. Also, they may be more concerned in getting the perfect photograph than enjoying the experience thereby influencing the purpose of the visit. For example, embarking on a trip to a well known place without learning the history and background but focusing on photos in order to update your social medial will be meaningless.

Popular places prefers to be anonymous as they can be susceptible to theft. To illustrate, i went to a new restaurant and was informed that i was not permitted to take a photographic image of the restaurant and if i refused to abide by the rules, i would be arrested and charged to court.

In my view, taking images from widely recognised venues without proper adhering to the rules can posed a great problem to the individual more importantly youths as the are susceptible to digital influence.

In conclusion, people nowadays should consider paying more attention to their surroundings and also be vigilant due to the fact that they are easily held captive.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for the trend and the writer's opinion on whether it is positive or negative. However, the development of ideas is inconsistent. The argument regarding 'abduction' is quite extreme and lacks a logical connection to the act of taking photographs, making the supporting example feel anecdotal rather than analytical. The second point about the 'purpose of the visit' is more relevant but remains under-developed. The third paragraph regarding restaurant rules is somewhat tangential to the core issue of people ignoring their surroundings. To improve, focus on more common social or psychological reasons for this behavior, such as the desire for social media validation or the 'fear of missing out'.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'For instance', 'Also', 'In conclusion'), they are occasionally used mechanically or to link ideas that do not logically follow one another. For example, the transition between the discussion of abduction and the purpose of a visit is abrupt. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the third paragraph where the connection between 'popular places' and 'theft' is not fully explained. More sophisticated linking words and better paragraph internal structure would improve the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward word choices or collocations, such as 'shoot a birthday pictures', 'popular places prefers to be anonymous', and 'proper adhering to the rules'. These errors occasionally make the meaning slightly opaque. While the student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary, the range is limited, and there is a reliance on basic phrasing. To achieve a higher score, the student should focus on using more precise collocations and academic vocabulary related to social trends and technology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'my friend was kidnap' (should be 'kidnapped'), 'they may be more concerned in getting' (should be 'concerned with'), and 'can posed a great problem' (should be 'can pose'). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are also inconsistent throughout the text. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic verb forms and sentence construction would be highly beneficial.

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

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