Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-12

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 7.5)

Nowadays, an increasing number of people visit famous tourist attractions mainly to take photographs of themselves rather than to appreciate the places they are visiting. This trend is largely driven by social media and the desire to share experiences online. In my opinion, although taking photographs can be a way of preserving memories, this is generally a negative development because people may fail to appreciate the cultural and historical significance of these destinations.

One major reason for this behaviour is the growing influence of social media. Platforms such as Instagram and Facebook encourage users to share attractive photographs in order to receive likes, comments and attention from others. As a result, some tourists are more concerned with creating impressive posts than with experiencing the destination itself. In addition, taking selfies has become a way for people to demonstrate that they have visited popular places. For example, a person standing in front of the Eiffel Tower may spend several minutes choosing the best angle for a photograph but pay little attention to the history or architecture of the landmark.

I believe this is predominantly a negative trend. Famous attractions often have considerable historical, cultural or natural importance, and visitors can learn a great deal by observing them carefully. If tourists focus mainly on taking photographs, they may miss valuable opportunities to understand the local culture and history. Furthermore, excessive photography can sometimes disturb other visitors or damage fragile tourist sites when people enter restricted areas simply to get a better picture.

However, photography itself is not necessarily harmful. Taking a few photographs can help people preserve memories and share their travel experiences with friends and family. The problem arises when taking pictures becomes the main purpose of the visit rather than a small part of it.

In conclusion, the popularity of social media and the desire for online recognition are major reasons why people increasingly take selfies at famous destinations without properly appreciating them. Although photography has some benefits, I believe that this trend is mostly negative because it can prevent tourists from gaining a meaningful understanding of the places they visit.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 8.0

The student fully addresses all parts of the task by identifying why people take photographs of themselves at well-known places without looking at them, and clearly states a position that this is a negative development. The response is well-structured, with distinct body paragraphs dedicated to the reasons behind the behaviour (social media influence, desire for online validation) and the negative consequences (failure to appreciate cultural significance, disruption to others). The ideas are well extended and supported with relevant examples, such as mentioning tourists standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. The position is maintained clearly throughout the essay, meeting the Band 8 descriptor criteria successfully.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a clear central topic, starting with an introductory paragraph that outlines the background and the writer's stance. Body paragraphs are introduced logically, moving from the reasons behind the trend to the author's judgment, and finally acknowledging counter-arguments before concluding. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Furthermore', and 'However' are used flexibly and appropriately to guide the reader through the argument. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and effectively, making the flow of ideas smooth and unobtrusive, aligning well with the Band 7 descriptors.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with good flexibility and precision, such as 'appreciate the cultural and historical significance', 'preserving memories', and 'excessive photography'. Less common lexical items are used with an awareness of style and collocation, including 'online recognition', 'fragile tourist sites', and 'predominantly a negative trend'. Word choice is generally natural and accurate, with no spelling or word-choice errors that impede communication. While it occasionally touches upon higher-level phrasing, the lexical range fits comfortably within the Band 7 criteria for adequacy and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

The essay exhibits a wide variety of complex sentence structures used with good control and accuracy. Examples include concessive clauses ('although taking photographs can be a way of preserving memories') and conditional structures ('If tourists focus mainly on taking photographs...'). The majority of sentences are error-free, and punctuation is handled correctly throughout. Grammatical control is consistently strong, and any minor slips are rare, reflecting the characteristics of a solid Band 8 performance where complex structures are produced with a high degree of accuracy and fluency.

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