Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-27

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)

Nowadays many people visit famous places to take picture rather than appreciating the place they visit. This trend is becoming increasingly common because of the influence of social media and the desire to share personal experience online. In my opinion, this is largely a negative impact because people may miss the real beauty and cultural value of these destinations.

There are several reasons why this trend is becoming popular. The main reason is the influence of social media platforms such as facebook and instagram where people want to share everything in order to get views and likes. As a result taking photographs have become important part of travelling. Another reason is that some people believe photographs provide evidence that they have visited famous places. For example: Tourists may take long time taking selfies in front of the Eiffel tower instead of learning about the history and enjoying the surrounding scenery.

I believe this is a negative trend because of several reasons. First and foremost, people may fail to appreciate the natural beauty, cultural tradition and historical importance of the places they visit. Since travelling should be an opportunity filled with memories rather than simply collecting pictures. Secondly, the desire to take the perfect picture may cause problems such as overcrowding at popular attractions and disrespectful behaviour at religious and historical sites. For instance: While trying to take an impressive picture some people may not obey the rules and disturb the other tourist which can cause an issue at religious places.

In conclusion, the popularity of social media and the desire for online attention are the main reasons behind this trend. Although taking photographs is a better way to capture memories, I believe it becomes negative when people choose taking pictures rather than learning about the famous place they visit.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address both questions directly: social media and the desire for online attention explain why people take these photographs, and your position that the trend is largely negative is clear from the introduction through to the conclusion. The reasons are relevant and supported with examples, including tourists taking selfies at the Eiffel Tower and behaviour at religious sites. This fits the descriptor for a response that covers all parts and extends its ideas. To strengthen the development further, explain more specifically how online attention changes visitors’ behaviour, and develop the overcrowding point with a clearer consequence. The conclusion also briefly acknowledges photographs as a way to preserve memories; clarifying how this benefit compares with the harms would make your evaluation more fully balanced.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear four-paragraph structure, with separate paragraphs for the causes and your evaluation, followed by a conclusion. Ideas progress logically, and signposting such as “The main reason,” “Another reason,” “First and foremost,” and “Secondly” helps the reader follow the argument. Your conclusion returns to the causes and position established at the start, giving the response a consistent overall direction. Cohesive devices are generally effective, though the repeated listing pattern makes some transitions feel predictable. For example, the sentence beginning “Since travelling should be an opportunity” is left as a fragment, interrupting the flow between the point about appreciation and its explanation. Integrating it with the preceding sentence and varying how you connect examples and consequences would make cohesion more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range for the topic and show some flexibility with phrases such as “cultural value,” “historical importance,” “online attention,” and “overcrowding.” These choices communicate the main ideas clearly, and the vocabulary is relevant to travel and tourism. At times, however, word choice and collocation are imprecise or repetitive: “take picture” and “taking photographs have become important part” do not sound natural, while “a negative impact” is less suitable than describing the trend as negative. Capitalisation and spelling also need attention in names such as “Facebook,” “Instagram,” and “Eiffel Tower.” More precise collocations and a wider range of terms for visitors’ motives and effects would build on the range already present and improve naturalness.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including a reason clause (“because of the influence of social media”) and a conditional structure (“may not obey the rules”). Most sentences remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “taking photographs have become important part” has subject–verb agreement and article problems, and “Since travelling should be an opportunity…” is a dependent clause presented as a complete sentence. There are also issues with plural forms and sentence construction in “disturb the other tourist which can cause an issue.” Review agreement, articles, and how dependent clauses connect to main clauses. Greater control of these patterns, alongside the complex structures you already attempt, would make the writing more consistently accurate.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.