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)

Tourism is one of the rapidly inclining industries and globally, the economy also rises with the rising economy. However, tourism also can have a bad impact on the environment and can cause damage to local cultures. I am totally in favour of first notion and I will share the views regarding my opinion in the upcoming paragraphs.

It is commonly believed by many individuals that tourism is growing very rapidly and is having good impact on the economy of host country. This is because when people do travel to various sites of attractions, they do spend a lot of expenses at those places on accomodation or on street foods or comodities. This increases the economy of a nation.

On the contrary side, tourism can also cause damage to those sites of attraction. As individuals do not have any bond or sense of affection with those places since they are not natives of that country they do create the pollution by throwing the garbage on the streets and also cause damage to the ancient monuments or manuscripts by scribbling on them and destroying them.

In conclusion, although, tourists cause a lot of damage to local cultures and also effects the environment by polluting the sites by throwing garbage, with increase in tourism it also results in incline in the economy of various nations which definitely is a positive development.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student addresses the task effectively by discussing both the positive and negative impacts of tourism. However, the argument is not clearly structured, particularly in the second paragraph where it mentions both sides without a strong connection to the task question. The introduction indicates a position towards agreeing with the economic benefits, but it lacks depth in how these points will be developed. Overall, the response does not fully meet the expectations of presenting a balanced view on the extent to which the writer agrees or disagrees with the statement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The coherence of the essay is somewhat lacking due to a disjointed flow of ideas. Transition phrases like "on the contrary" help but are used inconsistently. The writer attempts to separate their arguments, yet it feels abrupt in parts, especially when shifting from the benefits of tourism to its adverse effects. A clearer outline of arguments with more logical progression would enhance readability. Examples provided are relevant but could be better integrated into the structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The lexical resource is adequate, demonstrating the ability to use relevant vocabulary related to the topic, such as "sites of attractions" and "ancient monuments." However, there are frequent instances of incorrect word choices, such as "inclining industries" which could be improved to "rapidly growing industry." The use of phrases like "do spend a lot of expenses" is awkward; consider using "spend significantly on" instead. More variety and precision in word choice and an avoidance of repetitive phrases could improve the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

Grammatical range and accuracy are areas needing improvement. The response contains several grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreements (e.g., "effects the environment" should be "affects the environment"). There are also issues with punctuation and sentence structure, such as run-on sentences that could be clearer if separated into distinct thoughts. Overall, while ideas are communicated, better grammatical precision would greatly enhance clarity and overall effectiveness.

Overall feedback

The response demonstrates an understanding of the prompt by acknowledging the benefits and drawbacks of tourism. However, to improve, consider structuring your essay more clearly, with defined sections for each argument and a thesis statement that reflects your overall position more directly. Work on crafting a more cohesive argument by ensuring fluid transitions between sentences and paragraphs. Additionally, pay attention to word choices and grammatical accuracy to elevate the academic quality of your writing.

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

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