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, Nowadays, many people go 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

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response fully addresses all parts of the task. The candidate successfully answers both questions: why people take photographs of themselves without looking at places, and whether this is a positive or negative trend. A clear position is stated in the introduction and maintained throughout the essay. Ideas are well developed and supported with relevant explanations and examples, such as the mention of Instagram and the Eiffel Tower. The reasoning regarding the desire for online validation and the impact on the travel experience is clear and logical. There is good depth of thought, placing the performance comfortably within the Band 7 descriptors as all parts are addressed with a clear position and extended, supported ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct and well-managed focus, moving smoothly from the introduction to the causes, the personal and social impacts, and finally the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used effectively to guide the reader, such as 'The main reason for this trend', 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'To conclude'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, ensuring the text is structured coherently. While referencing is generally clear, occasional mechanical transitions mean it sits comfortably at Band 7 rather than reaching the higher bands where cohesion becomes entirely unobtrusive and flexible.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating less common items and topic-specific language such as 'social media networks', 'tourist places', 'history or culture', and 'unnecessary crowds'. Word choice is generally appropriate and precise enough to convey meaning without ambiguity, though there are minor slips such as the slightly repetitive opening 'In recent years, Nowadays'. Spelling and word formation are accurate throughout. The lexical range is sufficient for some flexibility and precision, aligning well with the Band 7 criteria.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writer uses a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over grammatical structures such as conditional clauses ('If a person only focuses...') and subordinate clauses ('...because they want social media attention'). Punctuation is accurate, and there are frequent error-free sentences throughout the response. Minor grammatical flaws are rare, and there are no errors that impede communication. The control over grammar and sentence variety points clearly to a Band 7 performance, reflecting a solid command of sentence architecture and good accuracy.

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.