Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-02

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)

In recent times, there's a sudden increase of people visiting famous places around the world to take photographs of themselves without even looking or experiencing the place. There are multiple resons for this happening which reflects a clear image of the society we live in.

To begin with, the biggest reason for this behaviour is peer pressure from social media. Nowadays individuals tend to share or post their lifestyle on social media by showing the places they visited, the food they had, etcetra. For example, In a recent study published by Universety of Stanford, it was reported that the ratio of individulas who visit famous places around the world just to post the pictures on social media to the individuals who visit places for the fun, experience and enjoyment is 7:3 and the ratio is projected to be 8:2 by the end of 2030. Hence, this leads to a standard of living which the population belive is normal and they try to maintain that lifestyle.

In my opinion, this is a really negative trend as it changes the society in a way where happiness is maintaing a competitive lifestyle rather the enjoying the moment. Moreover, if the trend kept on increasing where population spend their precious time on maintaining a fake social life rather than experinecing the world and the wonder it hold

In conclusion, going to famous places and taking pictures is a good way of preserving memories but taking pictures and not experiencing the journey is something that is really concerning.

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 opinion on whether it is positive or negative. However, the development is uneven. While the reason regarding social media pressure is clear, the second body paragraph is incomplete and ends abruptly, leaving the argument about the negative impact underdeveloped. The conclusion is also quite brief and does not fully synthesize the points made. To reach a higher band, you should ensure that each body paragraph has a clear topic sentence, supporting evidence, and a concluding thought that links back to the prompt, ensuring the essay feels complete rather than unfinished.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices like 'To begin with', 'For example', and 'In conclusion' to signal transitions. However, the progression of ideas is hindered by the incomplete final body paragraph, which lacks a clear concluding sentence or transition to the final paragraph. Additionally, some referencing is slightly mechanical. To improve, focus on ensuring that each paragraph flows logically into the next and that your concluding paragraph provides a more comprehensive summary of the arguments presented in the body paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'peer pressure', 'standard of living', and 'preserving memories'. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'resons', 'etcetra', 'Universety', 'individulas', 'belive', 'maintaing', and 'experinecing'. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning, the lack of precision and the recurring spelling mistakes prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading your work to catch these minor slips and try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations to enhance your lexical variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the use of 'if' clauses and relative clauses. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues (e.g., 'the population belive') and punctuation errors (e.g., missing commas and an incomplete sentence at the end of the second body paragraph). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to distract the reader. To improve, pay closer attention to sentence boundaries and ensure that your complex sentences are punctuated correctly. Practicing basic proofreading will help you identify and correct these recurring grammatical slips.

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

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