Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-09-19

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 6.0)

Tourism has become one of the fastest growing industries in the world and provides many benefits to different countries. However, it can also have negative effects on local culture and the environment. I largely agree that these problems are foten ognored, although tourism can also bring some positive changes.

Firstly, tourism can have a negative impact on the environment. A large number of tourist can produce more waste, use more water and increase pollution. Popular tourist destinations may also suffer from overcrowding and damage to natural areas. For example, when thousands of visitors travel to beaches or mountains region, they may leave plastic bottles and other waste behind. In addition, the construction of hotels, roads and other tourist facilities can sometimes lead to the destruction of forests and natural habitats.

Secondly, tourism can affect local culture and tradition. When a place becomes highly popular among tourists, local people may change their tarditional lifestyle to meet visitors expectations. Traditional festivals, food and handicraft can sometimes become commercial acitivities rather than meaningful parts of local culture. On the other hand, tourism can provide important economic benefits. It creates jobs for local residents and generates income for businesses such as hotles, resturantes and shops. Tourism can also encourage governments to preserve historical building and cultural sites because these places attract visitors.

In conclusion, although tourism contributes significantly to economic development, I believe its harmful effects on the environment and local cultures should not be overlooked. By promoting responsible tourism and controlling overcrowding, governments can protect local communities and natural areas while still gaining economic benefits from tourism.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, exploring both the negative environmental and cultural impacts of tourism and acknowledging its economic benefits. The student takes a clear position ('I largely agree that these problems are often ignored') which is maintained throughout the essay. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as waste accumulation in natural regions and the commercialisation of traditional practices. While some points could be slightly more deeply elaborated to reach the highest band levels, the coverage of the prompt is solid, well-organised, and fully satisfies the requirements of a Band 7 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear overall progression and logical organisation. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each body paragraph focusing on a distinct sub-topic (environmental impacts, cultural effects, and economic counter-arguments). Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are employed to guide the reader through the argument. Although some of the referencing and transitional phrasing is relatively basic, the logical structure remains transparent and easy to follow throughout, corresponding comfortably to a Band 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision, using terms like 'commercial activities', 'economic development', and 'destructon of forests'. However, there are several noticeable spelling errors throughout the text, including 'foten', 'ognored', 'tarditional', 'acitivities', 'hotles', and 'resturantes'. While these errors do not impede communication and the writer attempts less common lexical items, the frequency of spelling slips prevents the lexical score from rising into the higher bands, placing this response firmly at a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as concessive clauses ('Although tourism contributes significantly...') and conditional contexts. There are instances of grammatical errors, primarily involving singular and plural noun agreement, such as 'A large number of tourist' instead of 'tourists' and 'mountains region' instead of 'mountain regions'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, and while errors persist, they rarely impede communication or obscure the writer's intended meaning, representing a solid Band 6 performance.

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