Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Summit Mastery · 2026-11-02

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 6.5)

It is often argued that tourism contributes greatly to economies all over the globe. However, the devastating effects of tourism on local cultures and the environment is often ignored. I completely agree with this because not only do the flocking of tourists damage and pollute areas, but they often disrespect local people by ignoring local customs.

On the one hand, I can understand the thriving effect tourism has on countries. Mass foreigners means more money spent in that particular area, therefore strengthening local businesses and economies financially. Furthermore, more local individuals are employed to assist the large amount of tourists, resulting in more job opportunities for natives. For example, most Vietnamese are employed and can take care of their families thanks to Vietnam's bustling tourism industry.

Nevertheless, tourism can have several harmful effects to local cultures and the environment. One of the disadvantages is that natives are often treated with disrespect. Some international visitors in China for instance, tend to laugh and make fun of the Chinese's appearance or accents. A further drawback is that tourists often disregard or disobey local customs and rules, leading to animosity from the locals. Studies have shown that Islamic people get offended when visitors do not remove their shoes before entering their homes, this is a good example of disrespecting and not adhering to traditional customs.

Furthermore, the large amount of foreign individuals can have harmful effects on the surrounding environment. Outside areas, parks, streets, and heritage sites are often polluted with trash that was not properly disposed of. Consequently, this can harm animals and greenery in the process as well as the status of a country. The polluted areas in Cape Town, South Africa are drastically more compared to other provincial areas, due to its popularity from global visitors.

In conclusion, although tourism can have strong financial benefits for a country, I strongly believe that the damage to local cultures and the environment is something that should not be overlooked. Instead, rigid law-enforcing rules should be put in place to ensure that natives and the environment are respected and protected from tourists.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction: you completely agree that tourism’s cultural and environmental damage is often ignored. You address the economic benefits as well as both harms, and the examples from China, Islamic customs and Cape Town make the discussion relevant. This meets the task well, while the balanced treatment shows some awareness of the opposing view. However, some points are less fully developed: the claim about visitors mocking Chinese people is asserted rather than explained, and the Cape Town comparison does not show how tourism caused the pollution. Explain the mechanisms and support examples more precisely to make the argument more fully extended.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph acknowledging economic benefits, two paragraphs on harms, and a conclusion that restates your position. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “Nevertheless,” and “Furthermore” helps readers follow the progression. Some linking is mechanical, however, and the repeated use of “Furthermore” makes the connections feel formulaic. In the environmental paragraph, “Consequently” signals a result, but the relationship between litter, harm to wildlife and the country’s status could be made clearer. Use a wider range of transitions and make references explicit—for example, clarify what “this” refers to—so cohesion feels more natural.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range for the topic, including “devastating effects,” “local customs,” “animosity,” and “heritage sites.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and attempts at more formal vocabulary show ambition. Some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “Mass foreigners,” “thriving effect,” “harmful effects to,” and “the Chinese’s appearance.” “Status of a country” is also vague in the context of pollution. These issues do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Choose established collocations and check whether a phrase expresses the intended meaning; for example, use “large numbers of foreign visitors” and “negative impact on.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including the inversion in “not only do the flocking of tourists damage…” and the subordinate clause “although tourism can have strong financial benefits.” Most ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “the devastating effects … is” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “the flocking … damage” also needs agreement. “Studies have shown that Islamic people get offended when visitors do not remove their shoes before entering their homes, this is a good example” joins two independent clauses with only a comma. Review agreement with singular and plural subjects, and separate or connect complete clauses correctly. More consistent accuracy would strengthen the range you already attempt.

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