Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-10-02

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)

In the contemporary era, tourism plays a key role in boosting country's economy. However, it is one of the fastest leading industries and contributes a major proportion to the economies of the world. However, tourism also causes damage to local cultures and the environment which is often overlooked. I tend to partly agree and disagree with this notion.

In the first place, one of the most pressing reasons why tourism causes damage is loss of traditions and increase in pollution. Firstly, local people may adopt visitors lifestyle, language, and fashion, leading to a loss of cultural practices. Secondly, cultural dances and festivals may only be commercialized to entertain visitors, which may gradually reduce their cultural importance. Finally, regarding environmental damage, more number of visitors contribute to more air pollution, waste, and increasing use of supplies. It also damages the natural habitat by building more hotels and restaurants. For instance, an increase in the number of tourists results in more utilization of natural resources, such as water, food, and electricity creating pressure on local residents.

Conversely, we cannot overlook the other side of the coin. Tourism creates employment opportunities in hotels, restaurants, parks, shops, and transport services, thereby improving the incomes of local residents. Furthermore, money generated from tourism can be used to improve infrastructure, such as roads, public transport, and recreational facilities. Finally, interaction between tourists and local people enhance cultural understanding and allow people to learn about different cultures and traditions.

In conclusion, although, tourism has disadvantages, such as loss of traditional customs and environmental destruction, it also offers undeniable advantages, for instance, employment opportunities, boosts the economy of country and cultural exchange. The damage can be mitigated if the government impose strict regulations on protecting environment and local heritage should be preserved for local people.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your response addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear 'partly agree and disagree' position throughout the essay. You discuss both the negative impacts of tourism on local cultures and the environment, as well as its economic and social benefits. However, while your position is clear, some ideas are more fully developed than others. For instance, your points about environmental degradation and economic benefits are well-supported with examples like employment in hotels and pressure on natural resources. On the other hand, the discussion regarding cultural loss in the first body paragraph remains somewhat generalised and relies on a list of bullet-like assertions ('Firstly... Secondly... Finally...') rather than fully extending each point with deeper explanation. To reach a higher level, you should ensure that every main idea is thoroughly explored and supported with more detailed elaboration or specific real-world examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

Your essay demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression from introduction to body paragraphs and conclusion. You make use of standard organizational markers such as 'In the first place', 'Conversely', and 'In conclusion' to signal the direction of your argument. Moving into the higher band, you show part of the next level's control by successfully sequencing your thoughts and grouping related ideas together, such as separating environmental and cultural drawbacks from economic benefits. However, your cohesion occasionally feels mechanical due to repetitive transitional phrases and a heavy reliance on listing devices like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Finally' within a single paragraph. Additionally, referencing could be smoother, and paragraphing, while present, would benefit from more varied and subtle cohesive ties between sentences to ensure a completely seamless flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and topic-specific terminology such as 'contemporary era', 'commercialized', 'infrastructure', and 'recreational facilities'. Your vocabulary is generally sufficient to communicate your ideas clearly. However, there are some noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and phrasing. For example, writing 'visitors lifestyle' instead of 'visitors' lifestyles', 'more number of visitors' instead of 'a greater number of visitors', and 'if the government impose' instead of 'imposes'. Furthermore, you occasionally repeat words like 'damage' and 'tourism' rather than utilizing synonyms. To achieve a higher score, you need to use a wider and more precise range of less common vocabulary with fewer lexical errors and a stronger command of natural word partnerships.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence forms throughout your essay, including the use of subordinate clauses and conditional structures, such as in your concluding sentence. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, but they rarely impede communication. Examples of these errors include missing articles or pluralization issues within grammatical patterns, such as 'boosting country's economy' (missing an article before country's) and 'allow people to learn' where subject-verb agreement or tense consistency could be refined. To reach a higher level, you need to produce a greater frequency of error-free complex sentences and exercise tighter control over grammatical agreements, prepositions, and article usage, ensuring that your complex structures remain entirely accurate.

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