Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-07

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries and contributes a great deal to economies around the world. However, the damage tourism can cause to local cultures and the environment is often ignored.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

Nowadays, tourism is one of the fastest-growing industries and contributes significantly to the economy of many countries. It creates employment opportunities, increases national income, and supports local business. However, I strongly agree that the harmful effects of tourism on local cultures and the environment are often ignored.

On the one hand, tourism provides many economic benefits. It create jobs in hotels, restaurants, transport, and the entertainment sector. In addition, it encourages the development of infrastructure such as roads, airport and public facilities. As a result, both tourists and local residents enjoy a better standard of living. For example, many popular tourist destination have improved their transport system because of the increasing number of visitors.

On the other hand, uncontrolled tourism can seriously damage the environment and traditional culture. Large number of tourists often leave behind plastic waste, pollute beaches and rivers, and disturb wildlife. Furthermore, the construction of hostels and resorts may destroy forests and natural habitats. tourism can also affect local tradition as people may change their customs clothing and festival to satisfy tourists or earn more money. For instance, some historic places become overcrowded, making it difficult to preserve their original beauty and cultural value.

In my opinion, government and tourists should work together to reduce these negative effects. Authorities should introduce strict environmental laws, limit the number of visitors to sensitive areas, and promote sustainable tourism. At the same time tourists should respect local customs, avoid littering and protect natural resources.

In conclusion, although tourism plays an important role in economic growth, I strongly agree that its negative impact on the environment and local cultures is often overlooked. Therefore, responsible tourism is essential to ensure long-term benefits for both people and nature.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position in the introduction and maintaining it throughout the essay. The arguments regarding economic benefits and environmental/cultural damage are relevant and well-supported with examples, such as the mention of plastic waste and infrastructure development. The ideas are extended sufficiently to meet the requirements of the task. To reach a higher band, the student could provide more nuanced analysis, perhaps by discussing how the 'ignored' nature of these problems stems from a prioritization of short-term profit over long-term sustainability, which would add greater depth to the discussion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the transition between the economic benefits and the negative impacts is handled well using 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand'. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'As a result', and 'Furthermore' are used effectively to link sentences. Paragraphing is appropriate, and the conclusion provides a clear summary of the main points. The flow is smooth, and the reader can easily follow the writer's line of reasoning throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. The student uses topic-specific terms like 'infrastructure', 'sustainable tourism', and 'natural habitats' correctly. There are some minor errors in word form, such as 'customs clothing' (should be 'customs, clothing') and 'destination' (should be plural 'destinations'). While the range is adequate, it lacks the more sophisticated, less common lexical items that would characterize a higher band score. The writing is clear and precise, and the errors do not impede communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a good control of grammar, using a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. Most sentences are error-free, though there are occasional slips, such as 'It create jobs' (subject-verb agreement) and 'many popular tourist destination have' (pluralization error). Punctuation is generally accurate, though some commas are missing in lists. The range of structures is sufficient to convey complex ideas clearly. To improve, the student should focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and pluralization errors, which would allow for a more polished and professional tone.

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