Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-07

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 6.0)

Clicking photographs have become very common nowadays. However, purpose of visit has shifted significantly towards capturing photos rather than spending time to enjoy the place and nature around. The reason behind the trend is social media status and it is promoting a negative trend.

Social media is a vital part of everyone's life. Many youngsters are chasing for a high social media status. Visiting famous places has become very common and people's main purpose is posting memories online instead of enjoying the moment. For instance, people feels sharing photos from a trip is very cool and gives them a special acknowledgement in the community. This why clicking photographs on a visit to well-known place has seen significant increase and it does not allow them to really understand the place.

Parents face financial issues and pressure from their kids. Kids usually want to join their friends for a trip and flex about the same on social media. However, not all parents can afford it and it creates a disconnect within the family. For example, a group of friends travelling aboard for a summer trip and one of the kids misses out due to financial concerns. Lack of maturity will make the kid feel underprivileged. So it is a negative trend and forces parents to fulfill their kids needs even if they are not financially capable.

To conclude, photographs are important, although it should not be the only purpose of visiting a famous place. According to me, spending a good amount of time at the destination is really important to learn about the place as well as click photos for memory.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

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 development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the link between social media and the desire for status is clear, the second body paragraph shifts focus toward financial pressure on parents. While relevant to the 'negative trend' aspect, it feels slightly disconnected from the core issue of people failing to appreciate the places they visit. To reach a higher band, the argument should remain more tightly focused on the psychological impact of 'performative' tourism rather than general financial struggles of families.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. There is a basic progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally repetitive. For example, the transition between the social media point and the financial point is abrupt. The use of referencing (e.g., 'the same', 'this why') is sometimes slightly awkward, which occasionally disrupts the flow of the argument. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at more specific vocabulary, such as 'acknowledgement' and 'underprivileged', which show a reasonable range. However, there are instances of slightly unnatural collocations, such as 'clicking photographs' (usually 'taking photographs') and 'flex about the same' (which is informal/slang). The range is sufficient to communicate the message, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Expanding the range of topic-specific vocabulary related to tourism and social behavior would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include 'people feels' (subject-verb agreement), 'This why' (missing 'is'), and 'travelling aboard' (likely meant 'abroad'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation and article usage errors. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the essay from reaching the 7.0 band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and proofreading for small omissions would help improve the accuracy.

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

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