Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

In recent years, a growing number of tourists visit famous landmarks primarily to take selfies or photos of themselves, often ignoring the destination itself. This phenomenon is largely driven by social media culture, and in my opinion, it is a negative trend because it reduces genuine travel experiences and harms local sites.

The main cause of this behavior is the influence of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Today, many individuals feel a strong pressure to present an ideal lifestyle online to gain likes, followers, and social validation. As a result, when people visit iconic locations, such as the Eiffel Tower or the Taj Mahal, their primary objective is to capture the perfect photograph rather than appreciate the history or architecture. For instance, many travelers spend hours posing in front of a landmark and leave immediately after getting their photo, completely missing the cultural significance of the place.

I believe this is a overall negative development for two main reasons. Firstly, it ruins the core purpose of traveling, which is to explore new cultures, relax, and gain meaningful experiences. When tourists focus solely on camera angles, they miss out on fully engaging with their surroundings. Secondly, this behavior often leads to severe overcrowding and disruption at famous sites. In places like Santorini or Venice, narrow streets become blocked by crowds trying to take photos, which annoys local residents and destroys the peaceful atmosphere for other visitors.

In conclusion, the desire for online validation is driving people to prioritize self-portraits over cultural exploration. This trend ultimately diminishes the rich value of travel and creates unnecessary problems for tourist destinations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The student has successfully addressed all parts of the prompt, providing clear reasons for the trend (social media validation) and a well-supported stance that it is a negative development. The position is maintained consistently throughout the essay. Ideas are extended with relevant real-world examples, such as mentioning iconic locations like the Eiffel Tower and Venice, as well as specific platforms like Instagram and TikTok. The response is fully developed and satisfies all the requirements of the task. For these reasons, a band score of 8.0 is fully justified.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Information and ideas are coherently structured, moving smoothly from the introduction to the causes, the negative impacts, and a concise conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively and appropriately, with each body paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the prompt. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'As a result', and 'In conclusion' are employed naturally to guide the reader through the argument. Referencing is clear and unambiguous. The management of cohesion aligns well with the descriptors for a band 7.5 to 8.0, and a solid 7.5 is awarded here.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The writer displays a sufficient and flexible range of vocabulary suitable for discussing modern cultural trends and tourism. Less common items such as 'phenomenon', 'social validation', 'cultural significance', and 'overcrowding' are used appropriately and with good awareness of collocation. While there is a minor slip in the third paragraph ('this is a overall negative development' instead of 'an overall'), this does not impede communication in any way. The lexical resource demonstrates good control and precision, comfortably meeting the standard for a band 7.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response exhibits a wide variety of complex sentence structures used with good control and accuracy. Examples include subordinate clauses ('As a result, when people visit iconic locations...') and participial phrases ('...ignoring the destination itself'). The majority of sentences are error-free, and grammatical punctuation is well-managed. Although there is a minor article slip ('a overall negative development'), this is an isolated occurrence among many complex structures that are handled correctly. The grammatical control is strong and consistent throughout the piece, deserving a band 7.5.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.