Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-08-26

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)

Currently, tourism gains widespread appeal and enhances considerably as an industry, while contributing a significant share to the GDP all over the globe. Still, some believe that tourism is deteriorating local cultures and our environment. I agree with the latter, because tourists commute often by plane and they invade traditions of small communities.

To visit different countries around the world, most people fly to their destinations. When a plane flies through our atmosphere, it needs kerosene for fuel. In essence, this consumption produces carbon emissions, which are mainly responsible for climate change. While tourism becomes more popular, the effects on our climate become increasingly extrme resulting in natural catastrophies. For example, a recent study in Indonesia found out that 73% of carbon emissions caused by aerial transportation have their cause in tourism. This development is extensively negative, as the repercussions of the climate change influence not only humans, but the flora and fauna of our planet. Therefore, tourism becoming more popular will be a danger to the general well-being.

Furthermore, tourists often interfere with some local ways of living. Certain traditions often in rural communities have been preserved throughout centuries. In recent years, when tourists started to join these festivals, the common style is adapted to fit the habits of their new guests. Hereby, the tradition is being alienated compared to previous generations. The indigenous celebrations, for instance in Namibia, have changed considerably since foreigners visited these communities. Hence, the local culture is unrecognizable and now mainly concerned in pleasing the requirements of visitors.

In conclusion, although tourism as an industry has expanded quickly, I believe that this development causes major problems for local people, through the adaptation of foreign interpretations and concepts of their culture, and nature overall because of the impact commuting has on our climate.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position that agrees with the statement. The arguments regarding environmental impact and cultural erosion are relevant and supported with examples, such as the reference to carbon emissions in Indonesia and cultural shifts in Namibia. The ideas are well-developed, though the link between tourism and the specific percentage of carbon emissions in Indonesia could be more clearly contextualized to ensure the argument is fully persuasive. Overall, the essay maintains a consistent focus on the task requirements throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'In essence', and 'Therefore' are used effectively to link sentences and ideas. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing of 'this development' in the conclusion could be more precise to ensure absolute clarity. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'widespread appeal', 'deteriorating local cultures', and 'indigenous celebrations' show a good command of language. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'alienated' used in a context where 'diluted' or 'compromised' might be more accurate, and 'concerned in' instead of 'concerned with'. However, these errors do not impede communication and the vocabulary is generally appropriate for an academic task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over grammar, with many error-free sentences. However, there are occasional slips, such as 'tourism becoming more popular will be a danger' (which could be more naturally phrased) and 'the repercussions of the climate change' (where the definite article is unnecessary). Punctuation is generally accurate, and the errors present do not cause difficulty for the reader. The range of structures is sufficient to convey complex ideas clearly.

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