Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

It is undeniable that the tourism industry has experienced unprecedented growth in recent decades, becoming a vital pillar for many national economies. However, this rapid expansion often comes at a steep cost to local environments and cultural heritages, aspects that are frequently sildelined in favor of finacial gain. I completely agree with the assertion that the negative consequences of tourism on local cultures and ecosystems are widely overlooked.

To begin with, the environmental degradation caused by mass tourism is routinely ingnored by government and commercial enterprises eager to maximize profits. popular destinations frequently suffer form pollution, deforestation, and habitat destruction to make way for hotels, resorts, and transportation infrastructure, For instance, many pristine beaches in southeast asia have faced severe ecological crises due to untreated sewage disposal and plastic waste left behind by holidaymakers, despite these visible warning sings, local authorities often delay taking restrictive actions because they fear losing the substantial revenue that international visitors generate. Cosequently the long term ecological balance is sacrificed for short term economic benefits.

Furthermore, the erosion of local culture is another critical issue that rarely receives adepuate attention. As global tourism expands, unique cultural tradisions are often commodified and watered down to suit the testes of foreigners. This commercialization leads to a loss of authenticity, where sacred rituals or traditional dances are reduced to mere entertainment products. In addition, the influx of tourists can cause a phenomenon known as cultural homogenization, where younger generations in host communities abandon their heritage in favor of westernized lifestyles and consumer habits introduced by travelers. Because these oultural shifts happen gradually over time, their destructive impact is easily ignored until the gamage in irreversible.

In conclusion, while the economic advantages of a thriving tourism sector and substantial, they should not bilnd us to the severe consequences it inflicts. The erosion of cultural identity are serious threats that are consistently minimized for financial motives. To ensure a sustainable future, it is crucial for governments and travelers alike to shift the focus form unchecked economic growth toward responsible and ethical tourism practices.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response fully addresses all parts of the prompt by taking a clear, well-developed position on the extent to which tourism causes ignored environmental and cultural damage. The introduction clearly states the writer's complete agreement with the prompt. The body paragraphs are well-supported with relevant examples, such as reference to pristine beaches in Southeast Asia facing ecological crises from untreated sewage, and the commodification of traditional dances. Ideas are extended logically and supported with relevant explanation, demonstrating a strong grasp of the prompt's requirements throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The response is logically organized with clear progression throughout. Each paragraph has a clear central topic, starting with environmental impacts and moving smoothly to cultural erosion, followed by a cohesive concluding summary. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the argument. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and effectively, ensuring that the structure supports the flow of ideas without attracting negative attention.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a sufficient and generally wide range of vocabulary appropriate for an academic task, employing less common items such as 'unprecedented growth', 'ecological degradation', 'commodified', and 'cultural homogenization'. However, there are several noticeable spelling errors throughout the text, including 'sildelined', 'finacial', 'ingnored', 'popular' (uncapitalized), 'sings', 'Cosequently', 'adepuate', 'tradisions', 'testes', 'ourtural', 'bilnd', and 'form'. Despite these spelling slips, the lexical control is adequate to convey precise meaning, balancing ambitious word choices with frequent surface-level typographical and spelling mistakes.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The response employs a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, featuring subordinate clauses and participial phrases (e.g., 'As global tourism expands, unique cultural traditions are often commodified...'). Grammatical control is generally quite good, with many error-free sentences. However, there are occasional structural and punctuation slips, such as comma splices or missing punctuation (e.g., '...transportation infrastructure, For instance...', '...substantial, they should not bilnd us...'). These minor errors do not impede communication, and the overall grammatical range is strong.

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