Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-04

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)

Nowadays, tourism industry has increased significantly and plays an important role in economy development across the world. However, we are ignoring the damage it is causing to local traditions and the environment. I partly agree with this statement because every coin has two sides.

One the one hand tourism has increased and it is damaging natural resources. When many tourist visit to popular destination, then they would consume water and produce many waste to places, because of this reason they cause pollution. In addition, people have to build to hotels, resorts, and other tourism facilities for visitors. For example, popular beaches may polluted because more plastic accumulated due to tourism left water bottle there and people cut forests for building new accommodations, entertainments facilities for visitors.

on the another hand tourism may provide employment opportunities. this is because visitors may create jobs in hotels, resorts, transportation and other entertainment facilities for local residents. furthermore, governments may improve infrastructures. authorities may build new roads, airports and public facilities, eventually it increases people's quality of life. for instance, local citizens may work in accommodations, travel agencies and theatres.

In conclusion, although tourism may cause pollution to the environment due to throwing the plastics in river and ocean, believe if we manage the situation, it may create employment opportunities for people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the negative impacts of tourism and its economic benefits. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the arguments provided. While the position is clear, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the discussion on environmental damage is repetitive, and the economic benefits section lacks specific, well-developed examples. To improve, you should expand on your points with more detailed explanations and ensure you meet the word count to allow for a more comprehensive exploration of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some basic cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'In addition', and 'In conclusion'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where the logical progression is hindered by grammatical errors. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the transition between ideas could be smoother. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus that connects logically to the overall argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'produce many waste' (should be 'produce much waste') and 'popular destination' show limited control over collocations. There is little evidence of less common or sophisticated vocabulary. To improve, try to incorporate more precise terminology related to tourism and economics, such as 'sustainable development', 'infrastructure investment', or 'environmental degradation'. Additionally, pay closer attention to word forms and pluralization to avoid errors that slightly distract the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures. While there are attempts at complex sentences, they are often marred by grammatical inaccuracies, such as 'many tourist visit to popular destination' (should be 'many tourists visit popular destinations') and 'may polluted' (should be 'may be polluted'). Punctuation is inconsistent, particularly with capitalization at the start of sentences. The frequency of these errors is noticeable and occasionally impedes the flow of the text. Increasing your control over complex structures and proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage will significantly improve your score.

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