Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-16

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 6.0)

Concern for the environment is increasing, and more people are choosing eco-tourism. This means travelling in ways that cause less harm to nature. I believe this is a positive trend because it helps protect the environment and supports local people.

Firstly, eco-tourism can help to protect nature. When tourists choose environmentally friendly hotels, transport and activities, they produce less pollution and waste. For example, people can use public transport instead of private cars and avoid using too much plastic. This can help keep natural places clean and reduce damage to wildlife.

Secondly, eco-tourism can benefit local communities. Tourists spend money on local hotels, restaurants, guides and shops. This creates jobs and gives local people a chance to earn money. In addition, when local people earn money from tourism, they may have more reason to protect forests, animals and other natural resources.

However, eco-tourism can also have some disadvantages. A large number of tourists can still create waste and put pressure on natural areas. Therefore, governments and tourism companies should control the number of visitors and encourage responsible behaviour.

In conclusion, I think the growth of eco-tourism is mainly a positive development. It can protect the environment and provide economic benefits to local communities if it is managed properly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing whether eco-tourism is a positive trend, establishing a clear position in the introduction that it helps protect the environment and supports local communities. Main ideas are relevant, with body paragraphs covering environmental protection and economic benefits, alongside a brief acknowledgment of potential disadvantages. However, there is an important negative impact on Task Achievement because the length requirement is not met: the response contains only 208 words, falling 42 words short of the 250-word minimum. This lack of full word count prevents the ideas from being fully developed and extended. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed, earning a Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a clear overall organization with a logical progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately, dividing the introduction, body points, counter-argument, and conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'In addition', and 'However'. While some of these links are straightforward, they serve their purpose well in creating a coherent structure. Referencing is generally clear, and the logical flow is maintained throughout the short text. For these reasons, the response meets the descriptors for Band 6.0 in Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'eco-tourists', 'environmentally-friendly', 'pollution', 'waste', and 'natural resources'. There are attempts at less common vocabulary, and the word choices are generally natural and clear, such as 'economic benefits' and 'responsible behaviour'. Spelling and word formation are accurate throughout. While the lexical range is somewhat limited and lacks advanced or more sophisticated phrasing, it is entirely functional and communicates meaning effectively, fitting the Band 6.0 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates a satisfactory mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures such as 'When tourists choose environmentally friendly hotels...' and 'when local people earn money...'. Grammar and punctuation are handled with good control, and errors are very rare, meaning the majority of sentences are grammatically accurate. Although the structural range is not overly expansive due to the short length of the text, the high accuracy rate and effective handling of basic and moderately complex sentences support a strong Band 7.0 for grammatical accuracy.

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