Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-10

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)

Nowadays, it has become a trend that people like to visit some very famous places for outing and taking pictures at these places. They do not care about the place they are visiting either it is useful or not.

According to me, this has become a trend after watching an advertising campaign on TikTok and Instagram and other social media applications. Actually people now try to run ads on social media about some visiting places to incite the audience. We have seen that the youngsters are particularly involved in such type of activities.

This is not a positive trend. I have noticed that at these popular places when yougsters meet they often have a chance to fight with another group of youngsters for the opportunity to take a photograph on a particular spot. Another reason is that when people take photographs on such places and post them on social media, they are making themselve vulnerable to cyber attacks. The main reason behind this happening is that people usually follow what they see on social media.

When people take photographs on such places and post on social media applications, they are giving access to their privacy to the general public, which is not beneficial in any way for their private life. In the past couple of months, it has been noticed that some TikTokers are running this trend of taking photographs at famous spots of Lahore. This is not good for school going teenagers as their time is very precious. When they watch this kind of trend they used to follow the trend, that would definitely waste their time. So overall this is not a positive trend and parents should keep an eye on their children to prevent them from such activities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both questions: you attribute the trend to social-media promotion and imitation, and clearly judge it negatively. The examples of conflict at popular spots, privacy risks, and teenagers spending time on the trend are relevant. However, some points are asserted rather than fully explained. For instance, the link between posting a photograph and becoming vulnerable to cyberattacks needs clarification, and the Lahore example is mentioned without showing what it demonstrates. The response also focuses mainly on young people, although the prompt concerns visitors more generally. To strengthen the response, explain the causes and consequences in more depth and connect each example explicitly to your overall argument.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: it introduces the trend, explains a cause, and then gives reasons for viewing it negatively. Paragraphing helps distinguish these stages, and phrases such as “Another reason” and “So overall” guide the reader. However, progression within the final paragraph is less controlled: privacy, a local TikTok trend, teenagers’ time, and parental supervision are placed together without clear links. The repeated opening “When people take photographs…” also makes the development feel mechanical. Use clearer topic sentences and arrange each paragraph around one main point, then explain how its example supports that point. More precise referencing would also help readers follow the argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate your ideas, including “advertising campaign,” “social media applications,” “cyber attacks,” and “privacy.” Some attempts at more specific language are useful, but several phrases are awkward or imprecise, such as “for outing,” “incite the audience,” and “giving access to their privacy.” Repetition of “trend,” “photographs,” and “places” also limits flexibility. Spelling and word-form slips, including “yougsters” and “themselve,” reduce accuracy. Aim for natural collocations and more varied wording, while keeping the meaning precise—for example, distinguish between promoting a destination and encouraging people to visit it.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mixture of simple sentences and longer clauses, and the main ideas are generally understandable. Some sentence patterns are handled successfully, such as “when people take photographs … and post them on social media,” but there are errors in clause construction and verb forms. For example, “They do not care about the place … either it is useful or not” needs a clearer whether-clause, while “they used to follow the trend” does not express the intended present tendency. “When youngsters meet they often have a chance to fight” is also an awkwardly constructed sentence. Review conditional and time clauses, verb forms, and punctuation around introductory clauses. Greater control of these structures would make the argument easier to read.

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