Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-17
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)
In recent years, many people have gone to famous tourist places just to take pictures of themselves instead of enjoying the location itself. This habit is mostly caused by the popular use of social media, and I believe it is a negative development overall.
The main reason for this trend is the influence of social media networks such as Instagram and Facebook. People today want to show their online friends that they are living an exciting life. They feel happy when they receive likes and comments on their photos. Therefore, when they visit famous places like the Eiffel Tower, their main aim is to get a good photo for their profile. For example, many young travelers spend a lot of time taking selfies in different poses and then leave the spot immediately without learning about its history or culture.
In my opinion, this is a negative trend for two important reasons. Firstly, people miss the real meaning of travel. Traveling should be about relaxing, learning new things, and connecting with nature or local culture. If a person only focuses on taking photos, they cannot truly enjoy the experience. Secondly, it causes problems at popular places. Crowds of people standing everywhere to take photos often block the way for others and create noise, which makes the visit unpleasant for other tourists.
To conclude, people are focusing more on taking selfies at famous destinations because they want social media attention. This is a negative trend because it ruins the true experience of traveling and creates unnecessary crowds at tourist spots.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response fully addresses all parts of the task. The candidate clearly identifies why people take photographs without experiencing the location, attributing it to social media influence such as Instagram and Facebook. Furthermore, a clear position is established and maintained throughout the essay, stating that this is a negative development. Ideas are well developed and supported with relevant examples, such as young travelers spending time taking selfies at the Eiffel Tower without learning its history. The arguments are logical and extend well into the negative impacts, such as missing the real meaning of travel and creating crowds at tourist spots. This performance satisfies the Band 7 requirements thoroughly.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct and well-managed focus, moving smoothly from the introduction and causes to the negative impacts and conclusion. Cohesive devices are used appropriately, including transitional phrases like 'The main reason for this trend', 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'To conclude'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, ensuring the structure is easy to follow. Although referencing is straightforward and occasional cohesive devices are standard rather than highly flexible, the overall arrangement is entirely coherent and meets Band 7 criteria.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow flexibility and precision, using phrases like 'tourist places', 'online friends', and 'tourist spots'. There are also successful attempts to use less common items with some awareness of style and collocation, such as 'social media networks', 'connecting with nature', and 'unpleasant for other tourists'. While the vocabulary is generally appropriate and communicative, it occasionally relies on common expressions rather than advanced or sophisticated lexical chunks, placing it firmly at the Band 6.0 or solid Band 6.5 level. Minor inaccuracies do not impede communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
The response exhibits a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over grammatical structures. For instance, the writer successfully employs complex structures such as 'People today want to show their online friends that they are living an exciting life' and 'If a person only focuses on taking photos, they cannot truly enjoy the experience.' There are frequent error-free sentences, and punctuation and grammar are handled well throughout. The errors are rare and do not impede communication at all. The control of grammar aligns well with the upper-end descriptors of Band 7.
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