Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-18

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 5.5)

In these days, a lot of people go to visit the famous places just to take photos of themselves regardless of looking at the place.

This trend is increasingly growing, with the advancement of technology and internet. Some people say that it is beneficial while others reject this notion. In my opinion advantages of this trend outweigh the drawbacks.

First and foremost, a reason is that people like to capture the moments of happiness. In this digital era it is now more easy to take pictures with mobiles instead of carrying a traditional camera. Another striking reason is that now people like to be in news of friends and family members. So that, whenever they go to a renown place they take pictures and promptly upload on social media. For instance, people go to the famous masjid The Badshahi Masjid for nikah ceremony photoshoots but they do not bother to visit the whole masjid. There purpose is to just take photos and show them on instagram.

On the other hand, many people are against of this trend because they do not want to share their personal life with any one. In addition, they think it is risky to show someone's pleasure to any body regarding any criminal activity for instance robbery and abduction . They may visit the famous places weather in their own country or abroad. They fully enjoy the visit and take photos but remain cautious to share online.

To recapitulate, it is proved that it is the matter of personal choice to take photographs on famous places or just visit the famous places. Both notions are of equally important.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, explaining why people take photographs at well-known places without looking at them and discussing whether this is a positive or negative trend. A clear position is stated in the introduction, where the writer expresses that the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. However, the ideas lack sufficient depth and extension. For instance, the discussion on why people do this touches upon capturing happy moments and social media, but remains somewhat superficial. The example of the Badshahi Masjid illustrates the point regarding social media, but the overall development of arguments would benefit from greater elaboration and more sophisticated reasoning to reach a higher band level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The response exhibits a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt at paragraphing, separating the introduction, reasons, counter-arguments, and conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'First and foremost', 'Another striking reason', 'On the other hand', and 'To recapitulate'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes mechanical or faulty. For example, the transition 'So that, whenever they go...' is grammatically awkward and disrupts the flow. Additionally, pronoun referencing is occasionally unclear, and paragraph transitions could be smoother. Overall organisation is present, but progression is hindered by simplistic transitional phrases and occasional awkward linking.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The lexical resource is adequate for the task, demonstrating an attempt to use less common vocabulary such as 'advancement of technology', 'digital era', and 'social media'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'renown place' (instead of renowned), 'There purpose' (instead of Their), 'against of this trend' (instead of against this trend), and 'weather in their own country' (instead of whether). Spelling and word formation slips occur throughout the essay, though they do not seriously impede overall communication. The range of vocabulary remains somewhat limited and repetitive in places, restricting the score to a band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilising subordinate clauses such as 'with the advancement of technology and internet' and 'whenever they go to a renown place'. However, there are frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, and article usage, including 'famous places' lacking articles in places, 'more easy' instead of 'easier', and punctuation missteps like 'For instance, people go...'. While these errors rarely impede communication entirely, they occur with enough frequency to demonstrate limited control over complex structures compared to the higher criteria descriptors for a band 7.

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

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