Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-11-08

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Concern for the environment is growing rapidly and more and more people are choosing to be 'eco-tourists' - travelling in responsible, environmentally-friendly ways. As a result, the eco-tourism industry is expanding.

To what extent do you think this is a positive trend?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Eco-tourism is becoming increasingly popular.People are choosing environmentally friendly way of travelling.I believe this is a highly positive development because it protects nature and benefits local communities.

I agree that it protects the natural environment. It can reduces air and water pollution. It helps to protect wildlife and forests. It also encourages people to avoid plastic waste. It can preserve natural resources for future generations. For example, tourists visit national parks and avoid activities that damage wildlife.

It creates job opportunities for local people. It increases income for local communities. It can supports small bussinesses and hotels. It promotes local culture and traditions. It improves the living standards of residents. For instance,in Pakistan eco-tourism in Hunza and Skardu can provided employment to local guides , hotel workers and shopkeepers.

There are some disadvantages such as too many tourist can damage natural places. Some companies may focus on profit rather than environmental protection. More construction can harm forests and wildlife.

To conclude, eco-tourism is a positive development.It protects the environment. It supports local communities. Government should promote responsible tourism.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

Your position is clear: you consider eco-tourism highly positive, mainly because it protects nature and benefits local communities. You also acknowledge drawbacks, including damage from excessive tourism and profit-focused companies, so the response is relevant to the question. However, the task is only partially addressed because the supporting ideas are brief and mostly asserted rather than explained. For example, you mention that eco-tourism reduces pollution and preserves resources, but do not explain how responsible travel achieves this. The Hunza and Skardu example is useful, yet it could be developed with a specific illustration of local employment or conservation. The response is also 72 words below the required minimum, limiting the space available to develop your reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs on environmental and community benefits, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. This makes the main points easy to identify. However, progression within paragraphs is limited because many ideas appear as short, separate statements, such as “It increases income” and “It promotes local culture and traditions,” without showing how they connect. Linking is also repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “It” and “It can.” The transition to disadvantages is clear, but the conclusion largely repeats the introduction rather than drawing the discussion together. Develop fewer points in connected sequences, and use referencing and linking phrases more flexibly to show cause, contrast, and consequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “natural resources,” “wildlife,” “local communities,” “employment,” and “responsible tourism.” These choices make your main ideas understandable, and terms such as “living standards” and “environmental protection” are appropriate for an academic response. However, the range is limited by repeated general words and phrases, especially “It,” “protects,” and “local.” There are also noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, including “bussinesses” and “tourist” where the plural is needed. Some expressions could be more precise: “avoid activities that damage wildlife” is broad, and “more construction” could specify tourism-related development. Aim to vary key terms and choose precise collocations while checking spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Most sentences use simple structures, and the central meaning is generally clear. You attempt some longer forms, such as “I believe this is a highly positive development because it protects nature and benefits local communities,” but there is little variety beyond short statements. Several verb-form and agreement errors occur: “It can reduces” should use the base verb after “can,” “It can supports” has the same problem, and “can provided employment” uses an incorrect verb form. The sentence about tourists also needs plural agreement in “too many tourist.” Punctuation and spacing are inconsistent, with missing spaces after full stops and commas. Practise accurate modal constructions and combine related ideas using a wider range of sentence patterns.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.