Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-17

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, an increasing number of people have visited famous tourist sites primarily to take selfies rather than to appreciate the landmarks. This is due to the social media trend and the largely driven desire to be recognised by others. From my perspective, I consider it a negative trend, as it diminishes the value which the tourist place holds.

There are several reasons why this behaviour has become largely accepted by people. The most significant factor is the widespread use of social media like Instagram, Facebook, and many others. People take selfies and post them on these digital platforms to have unspoken validation, share experiences with the public and show their happiness after visiting the landmark. The primary purpose of the pictures is to get likes and positive comments on the pictures, and people lack in experiencing the history, values and emotion of the spot. Subsequently, many people also feel peer pressure and feel the fear of missing out. They get encouraged to visit these places, and it becomes a fashion symbol among the community.

In my opinion, it is a negative trend for two reasons. Firstly, it prevents people to fully experiencing the place they are visiting. People do not observe or live the moment but mainly focus on how to get a perfect photograph with a good angle and lighting. They also do not teach their young generation to understand the importance of the place; children will not be able to learn something new and will restrict to broaden their horizons. Secondly, in the rush not to lag. people will rush to tourist places, and it will become overcrowded. It can be disturbing for locals residing there and will impact the flora and fauna of that region. It will also lead to different kinds of pollution.

In conclusion, the growing tendency to prioritise pictures rather than the experience is caused by social media and digital recognition. I firmly agree that pictures preserve our memories and hold lots of emotions, but it should not be a primary objective to visit a famous tourist site -.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address both questions directly: social media and the desire for recognition explain why people take these photographs, and your position that this is negative is clear from the introduction through to the conclusion. The two reasons for your view are relevant and extended with consequences, including reduced engagement with a site, effects on children’s learning, overcrowding, and environmental harm. This range of support fits the task well. Some claims, however, are broad or would benefit from a more specific example: for instance, the point that children “will not be able to learn something new” could be explained through a particular historical or cultural experience. The environmental effects are also asserted rather than illustrated. More precise support would make the development more consistently convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall progression: an introduction presents the causes and your view, the first body paragraph explains the causes, the second develops the negative effects, and the conclusion restates your position. Signposting such as “The most significant factor,” “Firstly,” and “Secondly” helps readers follow the argument, while “In conclusion” clearly signals the ending. The ideas within paragraphs are generally connected, but some transitions feel mechanical, and a few links between claims could be clearer. For example, the move from children’s learning to overcrowding introduces a new consequence without much connection to the preceding point. The fragment “Secondly, in the rush not to lag.” also interrupts the flow. Integrating this idea into the next sentence would make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “tourist sites,” “peer pressure,” “fear of missing out,” “overcrowded,” and “flora and fauna.” These choices communicate the main ideas and show some willingness to use less common expressions. There are also several imprecise or unnatural collocations that keep the vocabulary from being consistently flexible and precise: “unspoken validation,” “fashion symbol,” and “restrict to broaden their horizons” do not express the intended meanings naturally. “The value which the tourist place holds” is understandable but awkwardly phrased. Aim to learn vocabulary in natural word partnerships and check that each phrase conveys the intended idea. The meaning remains clear overall despite these inaccuracies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses introduced by “as,” “rather than,” and “after,” and most sentences communicate your meaning. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with verb patterns and sentence construction. For example, “it prevents people to fully experiencing” should use a consistent pattern such as “prevents people from fully experiencing”; “children … will restrict to broaden” is also structurally unclear. The sentence “Secondly, in the rush not to lag.” is a fragment, and the final sentence ends with an incomplete construction and stray punctuation. There are also errors in “people lack in experiencing” and “will impact the flora and fauna.” Review verb complementation and ensure every sentence has a complete, well-formed clause.

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