Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-11-03

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 4.0)

Travellers seem to focus more on taking pictures rather than enjoying the place and the sights it offers. Back in the day, people used to go sightseeing for the sake of pleasure and discovery; however, people nowadays are more into taking photos, paying less attention to the place itself.

This has been negatively affecting tourism directly and indirectly. Even though sharing photos on social media attracts more visitors who seem interested in sightseeing, most of them just come briefly for a photo, disregarding any other activities and discovery tours.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

You identify the central behaviour—taking photographs instead of appreciating a destination—and give a relevant negative view, supported by the point that social-media posts may attract visitors who stay only briefly. However, the response addresses the task only minimally: it does not explain in any depth why people behave this way, and the positive or negative judgement is only implied rather than clearly stated and developed. The tourism effects are also asserted without a specific example or explanation. The response is 89 words, below the required 250, so it cannot provide the reasons, support, and development the task asks for. To improve, state your position directly, explain causes such as social-media pressure or the desire to document experiences, and develop each point with an example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The ideas are connected in a generally understandable order: the opening contrasts sightseeing in the past with photo-taking today, and the next paragraph introduces effects on tourism. Linking expressions such as “however” and “Even though” help show contrast and concession. At this length, though, there is little overall progression beyond these two points, and the relationship between attracting visitors and harming tourism could be explained more clearly. The response also lacks a developed paragraph structure, including a conclusion that restates your view. Build a clear sequence—causes, your evaluation, then supporting effects—and use separate paragraphs for these stages. Make links explicit so the reader can follow how each example supports your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “sightseeing,” “social media,” “discovery tours,” and “disregarding,” and the meaning is generally clear. There is some variation in how you describe the behaviour, such as “taking pictures” and “taking photos.” However, the short response offers limited evidence of range, and a few expressions are imprecise or awkward: “for the sake of pleasure” is not a natural way to describe the motivation, while “negatively affecting tourism directly and indirectly” is broad and does not specify the effects. Aim for more precise topic vocabulary and natural collocations, such as “capture a landmark for social media” or “engage with local culture.” Avoid repeating general terms like “place” when a more exact noun would clarify your point.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

Your sentences are mostly understandable, and you attempt more than simple sentence patterns. The opening uses a participial phrase (“Travellers seem to focus more on taking pictures”), while the second paragraph includes a concession clause beginning “Even though.” These structures show some range, but the sample is too short to demonstrate consistent control across a developed response. The long sentence about social media combines several ideas, making the relationship between them harder to follow; splitting it into two sentences would improve clarity. There is also an extra space before “disregarding,” which should be removed. Continue using complex clauses, but check that each sentence has a clear main idea and that punctuation separates connected points cleanly.

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