Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-20

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)

People have different views about whether tourism is one of the fastest growing industries and contributes in the GDP of the country or the damage caused to local cultures by the tourists. While i acknowledge that tourism helps the economy to grow, i believe not only the economy should be taken care of but the environment should be a part as well to save the local cultures.

On the one hand, tourism has shown great contribution to help the countries financially and is still one of the fastest growing industry. Growing economy helps to invest money for better infrastructure, better investments. Not only on the infrastructure the financial help can invest the amount to technologies, food, transportation. For example, Thailand has been on of the best tourist attraction. The country's economy has gradually increased from the past few years from the tourist attraction and the revenue generated from the tourism contributes to the development of the country as well.

On the other hand, tourism can harm the local cultures and can be a negative impact on the country. As excessive tourism can attract more waste, plastic, other junk items which can harm the hygiene of the place. By implementing strict rules by the government or local authorities the damage made by the public can be controlled.

In conclusion, although tourism shows a huge impact on the growth of economy and can be beneficial in certain circumstances , Controlling the damage caused by tourism offers greater advantage.

Overall i believe protecting the environment by implementing rules is essential ensuring tourism remains sustainable in the long term.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by acknowledging the economic benefits of tourism while arguing for the necessity of environmental and cultural protection. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention Thailand as an example, the explanation of how tourism specifically damages local culture is underdeveloped, relying on general statements about 'waste' and 'junk'. To achieve a higher band, you should provide more specific examples of cultural erosion or environmental degradation and explain the causal link more thoroughly. Your position is clear throughout, but the depth of analysis needs to be expanded to fully explore the 'extent' of your agreement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand' to signal shifts in the argument. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing could be more precise. For instance, the transition between the economic benefits and the environmental drawbacks could be smoother. Additionally, some sentences are slightly repetitive in structure, which affects the overall progression of ideas. Improving the variety of linking words would enhance the cohesion of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'sustainable', 'infrastructure', and 'revenue'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and minor errors, such as 'contributes in the GDP' (should be 'contributes to') and 'on of the best' (should be 'one of the'). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the sophistication or precision required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and academic vocabulary related to the topic of tourism and environmental impact, rather than relying on general terms like 'junk items'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'the financial help can invest the amount to technologies' (incorrect verb usage) and 'damage made by the public' (should be 'damage caused by'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but there are issues with capitalization (e.g., 'i' instead of 'I') and article usage. While your meaning is always clear, the frequency of these minor errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on subject-verb agreement and consistent use of articles.

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