Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-07
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 most rapidly increasing industries and provides a large amount to economies all across the world. Nevertheless, the destruction tourism can cause to the native traditions and environment of the country is often ignored. I believe that tourism play a significant role in the economy and global reputation of a country. The harm tourism can cause to the society and the benefits of tourism to economy will be discussed in this essay.
Initially, tourism is one of the best way to raise funds for a country development. For example how Crown Prince of Dubai did in 1930. He came to know that natural resources of his country are not going to last long enough that they thought it would. He decided to use the resources to build tall buildings and skyscrapers and other stunning things to attract tourists. Fortunately he was right about this and his idea worked. The prices of land peaked within months. Eventually he saved his country from a huge disaster through tourism. If there are some unwanted consequences of tourism Dubai has already set several rules and regulations.
On the other hand there are several drawbacks of tourism. One major disadvantage of tourism is tourist usually pollute environment by throwing trash everywhere. They throw plastic and cans which are harmful for atmosphere.
When they throw cans and plastic in mountains it ruins the natural beauty of these places. However native individuals treat them with kindness and usually ignore their bad behaviour.
Ultimately, as far as I am concerned the benefits are more than the disadvantages of tourism. There are precautions to prevent them from throwing cash in a specific way that they do not feel discouraged.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the economic benefits and the negative impacts of tourism. However, the development of ideas is uneven. The example regarding Dubai is somewhat confusingly presented and lacks a clear link to the broader argument about cultural or environmental damage. While a position is stated, the argument lacks depth, particularly in the conclusion, which is vague regarding how the negative impacts are actually mitigated. To improve, ensure that each body paragraph directly supports the thesis with clear, logical explanations rather than relying on anecdotal evidence that is not fully explained.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive. For example, the transition 'Initially' is used to start the first body paragraph, but the subsequent paragraph transitions are somewhat abrupt. The logical progression within paragraphs is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing, such as the transition into the conclusion. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence flows naturally from the previous one would significantly enhance the coherence of the essay.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. There are some instances of awkward word choice, such as 'throwing cash' instead of 'littering' or 'trash'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic terms like 'good', 'bad', and 'things'. To achieve a higher score, you should aim to use more sophisticated collocations and topic-specific vocabulary related to tourism, sustainability, and economic development, while ensuring that words are used in their correct context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('tourism play a significant role'), missing articles ('pollute environment'), and awkward phrasing ('natural resources of his country are not going to last long enough that they thought it would'). While the meaning is generally understandable, these recurring errors in basic grammar and sentence construction prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article usage would be beneficial.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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