Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-04
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)
Regardless of the place, nowadays, number of individuals visit popular places to take photographs of themselves. There are various reasons behind this phenomenon. I believe this trend is detrimental for everyone. The reasons behind this along with its negative sides are explained in the following paragraphs.
There are many reasons of this trend. First and foremost, people in this modern time are more concious about their image on social media. To get more likes and comments on social media platform like instagram, facebook, snapchat. Individuals use to visit the well-known place to take photographs of themselves without knowing about that place. For instance, to get famous on internet media and more response to their post they visit the popular places.
These trend have many negative sides. To begin with, it will restrict the individuals to know about the history, culture and importance of the famous place. To exemplify, if people visit Taj Mahal to only take photographs of themselves they remain unaware about the making of it and also the story behind building this beautiful monument.
To conclude, to get more attention on social media people visit well-known place. This trend not only increase the dependency of people on social media but also remain them ignorant about the significance of that place.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
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 essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of development. The ideas, such as the desire for social media validation and the loss of cultural appreciation, are relevant but remain superficial. To achieve a higher band, you must expand your arguments with more detailed explanations and perhaps a broader range of examples to meet the length requirement and demonstrate a more thorough exploration of the topic.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. There is a clear progression of ideas. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'To begin with', 'To exemplify', 'To conclude'). Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'These trend have many negative sides', where the pronoun does not match the noun. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring better sentence-to-sentence flow would enhance the coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic phrasing, such as 'well-known places' and 'take photographs'. There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'concious about their image' (conscious) and 'internet media' (social media). To improve, you should incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to the topic, such as 'digital validation', 'cultural heritage', or 'superficial engagement', and ensure accurate spelling throughout.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('These trend have', 'This trend not only increase') and missing articles ('visit the well-known place'). While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors in basic grammar prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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