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 venues 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 kidnapped when she went to shoot 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 before 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
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The essay addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying reasons for the trend and expressing a clear negative stance. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The argument regarding 'criminal activities' is quite extreme and lacks a logical connection to the act of taking photos itself, focusing instead on general safety. The second point about 'theft' in restaurants is also slightly tangential to the prompt's focus on people ignoring their surroundings to take photos. To improve, ensure that your supporting points directly explain the psychological or social reasons behind the behavior described in the prompt, rather than focusing on unrelated safety risks.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the logical progression between ideas is sometimes weak. While cohesive devices like 'For instance' and 'In conclusion' are used, the transition between the idea of 'abduction' and 'social media' is abrupt. Additionally, the paragraph regarding restaurant rules feels disconnected from the main argument about why people prioritize photos over the experience. The use of referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the subject of 'they' shifts confusingly between the kidnappers and the tourists.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are some awkward collocations, such as 'shoot birthday pictures' (instead of 'take photos') and 'proper adhering to the rules' (instead of 'properly adhering to the rules'). The phrase 'charged to court' is also non-standard. While the meaning is clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and the student relies on basic phrasing. Incorporating more topic-specific vocabulary related to tourism, social media, and human behavior would help elevate the score.
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 the flow. Examples include 'the are susceptible' (missing subject), 'can posed a great problem' (incorrect verb form), and 'Popular places prefers' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct verb tense usage would be highly beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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