Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-08-12
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)
Climate change and related environmental issues have created a new sense of responsibility in humans. Every aspect of life is linked with ecological perspective of it nowadays. Tourism is one of the major activity performed by most of the people nowadays. Due to developing concerns about environment, the term eco-tourism is coined by a large number of environmentalists.
Eco-tourism is defined to have the tourism practices that are supporting the ecological, geographical and environmental benefits to the planet earth. It also deals with the notion to avoid any kind of misconduct that can harm the environment.
There are various problems which caused the environmental advocates to urge for eco-tourism. The habit of using plastic could be a major reason to that. Most of the tourists carry plastic packaging to store things like food for long term use during the tour. This caused a huge increase in plastic waste in most of the natural tourist spots. It is not only the matter of waste management associated with it but also the impact of plastic waste on different species of living organisms. For instance marine life is suffering a lot due to plastic waste.
This could be a major reason that eco-industry has to grow and create a sense of responsibility in humans regarding the environment. Although, the expansion of eco-tourism industry is often associated with the monetary benefits but it must be assumed as a benefit to climate action and advocacy. They are providing a lot of ways to explore the world by doing ecologically responsible tours.
Eco-tourism industry will eventually help the society and environmental scientists to control the environmental harms and extreme weather events happening all arround the world. Eco-tourism is a well needed practice for the modern world.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the rise of eco-tourism and its positive impact. However, the position is not fully developed. While you mention plastic waste and environmental awareness, the essay lacks a nuanced exploration of the 'extent' to which this is positive. For instance, you could have discussed potential drawbacks, such as 'greenwashing' or the carbon footprint of long-haul travel to remote eco-destinations, to provide a more balanced and sophisticated argument. The ideas are relevant but remain somewhat superficial, lacking specific examples or deeper analysis of the industry's long-term implications. To reach a higher band, ensure your position is clearly stated in the introduction and consistently supported throughout the body paragraphs.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. The progression of ideas is generally easy to follow, moving from the definition of eco-tourism to the problems it addresses and its benefits. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. Phrases like 'This could be a major reason' and 'It is not only the matter of' are used frequently, which limits the flow. Additionally, some transitions between sentences feel abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing (e.g., using pronouns or synonyms to refer back to previous ideas) is more precise would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'ecological perspective,' 'misconduct,' and 'advocacy.' However, there are instances of awkward phrasing and word choice, such as 'major activity performed by most of the people' (better: 'a popular global activity') and 'the term eco-tourism is coined' (better: 'the term has been coined'). Some collocations are slightly unnatural, such as 'monetary benefits' in the context of industry expansion. To improve, focus on using more precise academic collocations and avoid repeating basic words like 'major' or 'things.' Expanding your range to include more sophisticated, topic-specific vocabulary would help elevate your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, some are grammatically flawed, such as 'Eco-tourism is defined to have the tourism practices that are supporting...' and 'Most of the tourists carry plastic packaging to store things like food for long term use during the tour.' There are also minor errors in article usage and prepositions, such as 'all arround the world' (spelling error) and 'the term eco-tourism is coined' (tense inconsistency). Despite these errors, the meaning is generally clear, and the grammar does not impede communication. Increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences will help you achieve a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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