Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-18

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 7.0)

Nowadays, many people visit attraction centers just to take pictures of themselves rather than exploring the beauty of the location. This could be largely attributed to social media obsession and the need for external validation. It is a negative development because the purpose of sightseeing has shifted from being knowledge-based to being aesthetically driven.

The perceived need to upload nice pictures on the internet is one of the reasons why people are now very focused on taking pictures during their visit to a landmark site. Many young adults are now obsessed with social media and they often seek validation from people online. There is an increasing trend among young adults, where they constantly upload photos to show that they are living a good life. As a result, they visit popular places to take pictures, so they can share them with their cyber friends and followers and they totally forget about other important purposes of visiting a beautiful place.

This is a negative development because there is a downward trend in people's attitude towards learning about history and other relevance of tourism. In the past, people visit popular attraction sites to learn about the history behind these locations, what prompted the development and possible artifacts they can acquire from these places. However, in recent times, people lack basic knowledge and facts about historical sites because when they go on vacation to these places, they pay less attention to important details that are beneficial. For instance, some people visit Paris to take pictures of themselves at the Eiffel Tower without learning about the history behind this monument or even socialising with the local residents to gain insights about their culture, foods or lifestyle.

In coclusion, there is a shift in the purpose of sightseeing from an educational standpoint to a content creation perspective which is a negative development. While capturing memories is natural, prioritizing digital validation over genuine cultural engagement hollows out the travel experience.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response addresses both questions directly: it explains the trend through social-media use and the desire for online validation, then clearly judges it negatively. The position is consistent from the introduction to the conclusion, and the Eiffel Tower example supports the point about overlooking history and local culture. The discussion is extended with a contrast between earlier educational motives and current photo-focused visits. Some claims, however, are broad—for example, that people “lack basic knowledge and facts” about historical sites—and the explanation focuses mainly on young adults and historical tourism. To strengthen the response further, qualify generalisations and develop the reasons with a little more nuance, such as acknowledging that photographs can also preserve memories while explaining when they displace engagement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay has a clear four-paragraph structure, with an introduction, a paragraph explaining the cause, a paragraph evaluating the trend, and a conclusion. Ideas progress logically, and links such as “As a result,” “However,” and “For instance” help show cause, contrast, and illustration. The conclusion also returns to the central contrast between learning and content creation. Cohesion is generally effective, though some repetition of “people,” “visit,” and “pictures” makes parts of the body paragraphs feel less flexible. The transition from the general claim about tourism to the historical-site example could be made more explicit. Use clearer referencing and vary how you refer to visitors and photography so that connections remain smooth without repeating the same terms.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

The response uses a suitable range of topic vocabulary, including “external validation,” “landmark site,” “cultural engagement,” and “content creation perspective.” These choices communicate the argument clearly and show some awareness of more formal style. However, a few collocations or expressions are imprecise or awkward, such as “attraction centers,” “other relevance of tourism,” and “socialising with the local residents.” “Coclusion” is also a spelling error, and “cyber friends” sounds unnatural in this context. This combination of useful range and occasional word-choice, collocation, and spelling slips fits the current level. Aim for more idiomatic phrasing and check spelling carefully; precise combinations will make the argument sound more natural and controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 7.0

There is a good mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including causal clauses (“because the purpose of sightseeing has shifted…”) and a relative clause (“where they constantly upload photos…”). Many sentences are accurate and easy to follow, and punctuation generally supports the meaning. A few errors persist: “In the past, people visit” should be “In the past, people visited,” and “other relevance of tourism” would require a different grammatical construction, such as “other aspects of tourism.” The sentence beginning “There is an increasing trend among young adults, where…” also uses an awkward clause connection; “in which” or a direct reformulation would be clearer. Review tense consistency when contrasting past and present, and refine clause links to improve accuracy across longer sentences.

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