Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-11

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 6.5)

It is frequently seen that individuals are more likely to take pictures at well-known places rather than admire them. While social media is primarily responsible for this, I believe this is negative for the community.

Social media is the most prominent reason behind this driving shift. Nowadays, individuals are keen to post all happy moments on social platforms to show a lavish lifestyle in the hope of increasing followers and likes on their profile. For example, in different parts of the world, travelers post blogs regularly to increase the number of followers because social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, pay handsomely. Consequently, rather than admiring the famous spectacular locations, visitors tend to click pictures and post them immediately.

Although this trend can be beneficial for bloggers, I believe it is detrimental to the development of society. While people visit tourist places to spend their vacation, they do not feel encouraged to interact with locals. For example, thousands of tourists visit China for tourism daily, yet hesitate to communicate with others to enhance the historical knowledge of the Great Wall of China. Therefore, people exclusively click pictures and record videos rather than admiring the nostalgic beauties of popular places, which weakens social bonds.

In conclusion, even though certain social media platforms pay a huge amount of money for every uploaded post, I strongly opine that this is negatively impacting community friendships. Moreover, people have forgotten the real meaning of visiting well-known locations in the sake of earning.

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 essay falls slightly short of the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the arguments. While the ideas are relevant, the development is somewhat brief. For instance, the point about social media monetization is clear, but the discussion on the impact on society could be more nuanced. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully extended with more detailed examples or analysis to meet the length requirement and provide a more comprehensive exploration of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The progression of ideas is easy to follow, and the writer uses cohesive devices such as 'Consequently,' 'Although,' and 'Moreover' to link sentences and paragraphs. However, the transition between the idea of social media monetization and the impact on social bonds could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the reasons from the evaluation. The overall structure is coherent, though the limited length prevents more sophisticated use of cohesive devices or more complex paragraph development.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task. The student uses some appropriate collocations such as 'lavish lifestyle,' 'detrimental to the development,' and 'weakens social bonds.' There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'in the sake of earning,' which should be 'for the sake of earning,' and 'nostalgic beauties,' which is slightly unnatural in this context. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly, but it lacks the variety and precision required for a higher band score. Incorporating more topic-specific academic vocabulary would improve the lexical profile.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are grammatically accurate, and errors do not impede communication. For example, 'It is frequently seen that individuals are more likely to take pictures...' is a well-constructed opening. There are occasional minor errors, such as the phrasing 'in the sake of earning' and the slightly awkward 'to show a lavish lifestyle in the hope of increasing followers.' The punctuation is generally correct, and the control over complex structures is decent, though further variety in sentence construction would enhance the score.

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