Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-18

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 5.5)

Very few industries in the world as fast as tourism, which allows nations to earn a lot. But, at times it degrades the environment and harms culture as well as tradition.

In my opinion, I strongly support the statement and I also believe that it also liable for terrestrial and aquatic ecology.

Admittedly, one of vital problems is that the mass tourism deteriorates social cohesion in tourist spots: some tourist spots become overcrowded in the peak time, when the local cannot move freely. Furthermore, the irresponsible tourists throw their waste in the open area as well as waterbodies resulting destroy ecological balance in the long run. Moreover, sometime tourists disturb the local people by asking irrelevant question; asking too personal questions, forcing in answering all the queries of them.

Nevertheless, tourism strengthen local economy. To exemplify, the local people may works as paid tour guide for the overseas tourists, which generates much money. In addition, tourism is a medium of spreading local culture in the international arena by selling indigenous products, songs, artworks. Then, one may make nationwide connection by reaching with the cross-cultural people in the tourist spots.

In conclusion, although tourism a growing industry, but it has acute consequences on human and animals as well. Therefore, I believe that individuals and the government should be cautious and need to take preventive measures against it.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The essay addresses the prompt by acknowledging both the economic benefits and the negative impacts of tourism. However, the response is significantly under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of development. While the position is clear, the arguments regarding environmental and cultural damage are somewhat repetitive and lack specific, well-developed examples. The conclusion introduces a call to action that was not fully explored in the body paragraphs. To improve, you must expand your supporting points with more detailed explanations and ensure you meet the minimum word count to allow for a comprehensive discussion of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Admittedly', 'Furthermore', and 'Nevertheless'. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and mechanical transitions. For example, the transition 'Then, one may make nationwide connection' is unclear and disrupts the logical progression. Additionally, some sentences are fragmented or lack proper connection to the preceding thought. While the overall structure is evident, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes forced or inaccurate, which prevents the essay from reaching a higher band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You use some relevant terms like 'ecological balance', 'social cohesion', and 'indigenous products', which is positive. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'resulting destroy ecological balance' (should be 'resulting in the destruction of') and 'asking irrelevant question' (should be 'questions'). The range is somewhat limited, and the repetition of basic structures and vocabulary prevents a more sophisticated expression of ideas.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'Very few industries in the world as fast as tourism' (missing verb), 'the local cannot move' (should be 'locals'), and 'tourism a growing industry' (missing verb). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While you attempt complex sentences, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and punctuation limits the score. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for missing verbs would significantly improve your accuracy.

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

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