Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-10-28

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 5.5)

In recent years, it is observed that visitor numbers at popular location has significantly increased. Many people ignore the surrounding of popular spot, but they are willing to go to the spot where famous celebrities, friends and relatives have taken photographs. From my perspective, it is a positive development because such landmark may attract more visitors across the country.This essay will outline the reasons and its trend.

To begin with, there are several reasons why this is happening. The first and foremost reason is that people love to follow their peers and do not want to left behind. For instance, there is a famous waterfall known as Dudhsagar in Goa, India, which has gain popularity after the landscape was recorded in movie scene. Later, people across the country have started to go there to take pictures and show to their social circle that they are capable to travel. Some people feel some sorts of achievement after doing it. That is the reason why people love to visit such landmark.

Furthermore, such popularity may increase the economy of particular region. Tourists often spend few days nearby the place to enjoy the beauty of nature. Local people can try to make such place more attractive by enhancing their culture, food and other activities. For instance, people in early days used to go to see Dudhsagar waterfall, but over time, local people and public authorities have revised several policies to attract more visitors such as allowing more international food shops and hotels. Eventually, this initiation helped state to expand their economy and business.

To sum up, popularity of site is largely depends on the number of visitors and tourist. If they find it more interesting, they often share their experience with their friends and their experience may encourage other people to visit the same place.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: you explain that people imitate peers and seek a sense of achievement, and you take a positive position by linking visitor interest to local economic benefits. The Dudhsagar example gives the response a relevant, concrete focus. However, the judgement that this is positive is not fully balanced against the prompt’s concern that visitors may ignore the place itself. The economic argument is more developed than the explanation of why people prioritise taking photographs, and some claims—such as the changes made by local authorities—need clearer support. Develop the causes and evaluate the effects more directly, including a brief acknowledgement of possible drawbacks, to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a concluding paragraph. The sequence from peer influence to economic effects is generally easy to follow, and signposts such as “To begin with” and “Furthermore” help identify the stages of the argument. However, the conclusion mainly repeats the idea that popularity depends on visitor numbers and does not clearly restate your positive judgement. Some links between claims are abrupt: the move from visitors taking photographs to local businesses changing their offerings needs a clearer explanation. There is also repetition of “place,” “people” and “visit.” Use more precise referencing and make each paragraph’s main point and its connection to your position explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic, including phrases such as “follow their peers,” “social circle,” “landmark,” and “expand their economy.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and the Dudhsagar example adds specificity. There are, however, several awkward or imprecise expressions, including “popular location,” “some sorts of achievement,” and “this initiation,” which make parts of the argument sound less natural. “Surrounding” is also used where a plural or a more precise phrase is needed. Aim for accurate collocations and avoid repeating general words such as “place” and “people”; for example, distinguish between a landmark, its scenery, and the surrounding area. This would make your vocabulary more precise and fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “because,” “after,” and “but,” and most of the meaning remains clear. However, errors in agreement, verb forms, articles and sentence construction recur. Examples include “visitor numbers … has,” “do not want to left behind,” “which has gain popularity,” and “popularity of site is largely depends.” The sentence beginning “From my perspective” also runs into the next sentence without a space after the full stop. These issues show that complex forms are not yet consistently controlled. Review subject–verb agreement and verb patterns, and proofread each sentence for complete, correctly punctuated clauses while continuing to practise varied sentence structures.

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