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 went 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 successfully addresses all parts of the task by explaining why people photograph themselves at famous places instead of experiencing them, and clearly presenting a position that this is a negative development. The student establishes a clear stance in the introduction and maintains it throughout the essay. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as mentioning social media networks like Instagram and the Eiffel Tower, as well as the behavior of young travelers who spend time taking selfies rather than learning about history or culture. The main points regarding social media validation and the negative impacts on travel meaning and tourist spots are well-developed and easy to follow. Therefore, the response fulfills all requirements of the task effectively, aligning well with the Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are coherently structured, starting with a well-defined introduction, followed by body paragraphs exploring the causes and the negative impacts respectively, and concluding with a concise summary. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each paragraph having a distinct central topic. Cohesive devices such as 'The main reason', 'Therefore', 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'To conclude' are used to connect ideas logically, although some transitions are slightly formulaic. Overall, the flow of information is smooth, and referencing is handled clearly, supporting an evaluation at Band 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, allowing for clear and precise communication. The writer attempts some less common and topic-specific vocabulary items, such as 'tourist places', 'social media networks', 'destination', and 'experience'. Word choices are generally appropriate, as seen in expressions like 'living an exciting life' and 'connecting with nature or local culture'. While there are no severe lexical errors, the vocabulary remains somewhat standard and lacks the more sophisticated, precise collocation and stylistic flair characteristic of higher bands. However, communication is never impeded, making this a solid Band 6.5 performance, rounded to 6.0 based on standard descriptor matching for sufficient everyday task vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writer uses a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms to express ideas effectively. Examples of complex structures include 'People today want to show their online friends that they are living an exciting life' and 'Crowds of people standing everywhere to take photos often block the way for others'. There is good control of basic grammar and punctuation throughout the text. While there is a minor tense slip in the opening sentence ('many people went' instead of 'go'), the majority of sentences are grammatically accurate. Complex structures are generally well-handled, and errors are rare and do not impede communication. This demonstrates the control expected at Band 7.

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

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