Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-09-28

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)

Places we visit leave a deep mark on our personality but these days people visit famous places just for the sake of taking photographs of themselves instead of enjoying the place. In my opinion it's a negative trend and I will also discuss why this is happening so much.

First of all, the need for validation on social media has risen quite exponentially in recent times. This is the main reason why people take a lot of pictures of themselves when they visit a well-known place. They are just worried about posting themselves visiting the place rather than being mentally present in the moment.

In my opinion, this is a negative trend because it might give them the attention they are seeking or the number of social media likes they are looking for, but they haven't truly enjoyed the place in its true essence. For instance I recently visited the famous Brighton Beach in England which is knows for it's mesmerising sunset, especially in the summer. It was peak of summer and the beach was very crowded. What surprised me is that as soon as the sun started to set, most visitors took out their mobile phones and started taking pictures with the sun in the background rather than enjoying the beauty of it. As a traveler myself who likes to soak-in the moment, I was shocked by how quickly this trend is spreading. It also takes away the soul of traveling.

In conclusions, the need of attention is taking away the soul of traveling because taking pictures has become a priority instead of feeling the actual beauty of the place. There are no positives in this trend.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt. The student clearly identifies why the trend is happening, pointing to social media validation, and explicitly states a position that it is a negative trend. Ideas are extended and supported with a relevant personal example about Brighton Beach. The position is clear throughout the essay, and the development is appropriate for a general task 2 response. There is a slight tendency to over-generalise regarding all visitors, but the overall task requirements are fully met, corresponding well to the Band 7 descriptor.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. The introduction outlines the writer's stance, body paragraphs are logically sequenced with distinct focus points, and a brief conclusion summarises the main ideas. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'First of all', 'In my opinion', and 'For instance'. However, paragraphing could be slightly refined, and transitions are sometimes a bit mechanical, particularly in the conclusion where 'In conclusions' contains a minor grammatical slip. Overall, the structure meets the requirements for a solid Band 6.5 or 7.0, fitting comfortably into Band 7.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision, using phrases like 'validation on social media', 'exponentially', 'mesmerising sunset', and 'soak-in the moment'. There are attempts to use less common lexical items with awareness of style, though minor collocation or word choice slips occur, such as 'In conclusions' instead of 'In conclusion' or 'knows for it's' (handled under grammar/mechanics). The vocabulary is adequate to convey the message clearly and effectively, placing the response securely in the Band 6.5 to 7.0 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures effectively, including conditional and relative clauses ('Places we visit leave a deep mark...', 'As a traveler myself who likes to soak-in the moment...'). There are frequent error-free sentences, alongside a few minor inaccuracies such as 'knows for it's' (known for its) and 'peak of summer' (the peak of summer). However, these errors do not impede communication at all. The control of grammar and punctuation is good, fully justifying a Band 7 score.

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