Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-08

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 7.0)

In the contemporary world, the global tourism sector is expanding rapidly, providing significant financial benefits to many nations. However, I strongly agree with the assertion that the detrimental impacts of this industry on traditions and ecosystem are frequently overlooked in the pursuit of economic growth.

To begin with, the major drawback of increasing tourism is that the government and corporations often prioritise building the tourism infrastructure (hotels, museums, resorts) rather than focusing on the environment and natural habitats. Moreover, the bird sanctuaries and natural parks are often pushed to their limits of carrying capacity to sell more tickets, leading to severe damage to the area. For example, Maya Bay in Thailand was severely damaged by mass tourism and boat pollution, as the authorities ignored the harmful impacts of such to keep generating tourism revenue.

Secondly, tourism can lead to cultural erosion. Due to the commercialisation of traditions, local cultures and traditional practices are watered down and altered to make them look entertaining for the tourists, stripping out the true meaning. Furthermore, for the mass tourism, the locals often have to pay the price and have to shift to another destination because the corporations want to make their homes into Airbnb and resorts. For example, the cities like Venice and Barcelona are great examples as the local cultures are slowly deteriorating because the main focus is entirely on the tourism.

To conclude, While tourism brings undeniable benefits, I firmly believe that governments and corporations too often ignore the drawbacks in their pursuit of profit.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have clearly addressed all parts of the prompt, maintaining a consistent position throughout the essay. Your ideas regarding environmental degradation and cultural erosion are relevant and well-supported with specific examples, such as Maya Bay and the cities of Venice and Barcelona. The essay is well-developed, and your arguments are logically connected to the prompt's premise. To reach a higher band, you could further elaborate on the 'economic' aspect mentioned in the prompt to provide a more balanced view before refuting it, or ensure that the conclusion synthesizes the main points more comprehensively rather than just restating the position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and you have used cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'Secondly' effectively to guide the reader. Referencing is generally clear, and the paragraphing is appropriate. While the structure is sound, the transition between the second body paragraph and the conclusion could be slightly smoother to enhance the overall flow. Overall, the logical sequencing of ideas is strong and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with precision. Phrases like 'detrimental impacts', 'carrying capacity', and 'cultural erosion' are used effectively and appropriately. There is an awareness of style, and your word choices are generally accurate. To improve, you could incorporate more sophisticated collocations or idiomatic expressions to show greater flexibility. For instance, instead of 'watered down', you might use 'diluted' or 'commoditized'. The current range is adequate for a high band, but slightly more variety would elevate the lexical sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures with good control. Most of your sentences are error-free, and your punctuation is generally accurate. There are minor slips, such as 'for the mass tourism' (should be 'due to mass tourism') and 'the cities like Venice' (should be 'cities like Venice'). These errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. To achieve a higher score, ensure consistent use of articles and prepositions, and try to incorporate a wider variety of complex grammatical structures, such as inversion or conditional sentences, to demonstrate greater flexibility.

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

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