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 | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by explaining why people focus on taking photographs at famous locations (social media influence, desire for online validation) and clearly stating a position that this is a negative trend. The ideas are well extended and supported with relevant examples, such as mentioning Instagram, Facebook, and the Eiffel Tower. The discussion of why it is negative covers both the personal loss of the travel experience and the external problems caused by crowds. The student maintains a clear position throughout the essay, fulfilling all task requirements to a high standard, aligning well with the Band 7 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct and clear purpose, moving from the introduction to causes, then to the negative effects, and finally to a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices are used effectively and appropriately, such as 'The main reason for this trend', 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'To conclude'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to structure the argument clearly, though a slightly higher degree of sophisticated referencing could elevate it further. Overall, the flow is smooth and easy to follow, making this a solid Band 7 performance.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate and sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'destination', 'tourists', 'validation', and 'culture'. There are attempts at less common lexical items such as 'desire for online validation', 'tourist spots', and 'unpleasant'. While the vocabulary is generally appropriate, it occasionally borders on repetitive or standard (e.g., repeating 'famous tourist places', 'famous places', and 'popular places'). Spelling and word choice are accurate and do not impede communication. This fits comfortably within the Band 6 criteria, showing potential for Band 7 with more varied synonyms and collocation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
The response features a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms. The writer successfully employs subordinate clauses and conditional structures, such as 'When they visit famous places like the Eiffel Tower, their main aim is...' and 'If a person only focuses on taking photos, they cannot truly enjoy the experience.' There are frequent error-free sentences, and grammar and punctuation are generally well controlled. Although there are a few minor slips, they never impede communication and are typical of a competent user. The grammatical control leans towards Band 7.
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