Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-19

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)

In the recent year , the increasing poplarity of of many people to be eco-tourists-travelling in responsible and environmentally friendly ways as a result , the eco-tourism industry is expanding.Although ecotourism several benefits for the environment and the local communities , it can also brings some disadvantages.

On the first hand , one of the main advantages of ecotourism is that it helps protect the natural environment .Ecotourists generally prefer activities that have a low impact on environment such as hiking , wildlife watching and visiting protected areas .This can encourage government and local communities to preserve forests , wildlifw and other natural resources . In addition , money earned from ecotourism can be used to maintain national parks ans conservation projects.Another benefits is that ecotourism can improve the lives of local people .Tourist often spend money on local accomodation , food, transportation,and handicrafts , which creates employment opportunities and local income.Furthermore , ecotourism can raise people's awareness of environmental issues and encourage both visitors and resident to behave more responsibly towards narure.

On the other hand , ecotourism also has some disadvantages . If too many tourists visit environmentally sensitive areas , they can still cause pollution , damage plants and disturb wildlife .Moreover , the construction of hotels , roads , and other tourist facilities may harm natural habitats . There is also a risk that some businesses may use the term "ecotourism"mainly for marketing purposes without actually following environmentally friendly practices.

In conclusion , ecotourism can provide significantt environmental and economic benefits , particularly by supporting conservation and local communities .However , it needs to be carefully managed to prevent excessive tourism and environmental damage.With appropriate regulations and responsible behaviour , the advantages of ecotourism can be maximised while its disadvantages can be reduced.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the positive and negative aspects of the expanding eco-tourism industry, presenting a clear position throughout the essay. The introduction acknowledges the trend, while the body paragraphs provide relevant arguments, such as environmental protection, local community benefits, pollution risks, and greenwashing. However, some ideas could be extended further with more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. For instance, the discussion on marketing purposes is insightful ('businesses may use the term ecotourism mainly for marketing purposes') but remains brief. Overall, the task is addressed adequately and meets the criteria for Band 6.5, rounded to 6.0 based on the depth of idea development.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear structure consisting of an introduction, body paragraphs for both sides, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points. However, there are notable cohesion and referencing issues. The transitional phrase 'On the first hand' is unnatural and non-standard. Additionally, referencing is sometimes vague or repetitive, such as 'Another benefits is that...' where subject-verb agreement and cohesive transitions falter. Cohesive devices are employed, but they are sometimes mechanical or inaccurate, placing this response firmly in the Band 6 category.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using topic-specific terms like 'ecotourism', 'natural environment', 'conservation projects', and 'habitats'. There are several attempts to use less common vocabulary, though these are often marred by spelling and word-form errors, such as 'poplarity' for 'popularity', 'accomodation', 'significantt', and 'wildlifw'. Furthermore, grammatical collocation errors occur, such as 'it can also brings some disadvantages'. Despite these frequent spelling and word-choice slips, the vocabulary remains sufficient to convey meaning clearly, aligning with the Band 6 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures (e.g., 'If too many tourists visit environmentally sensitive areas, they can still cause pollution...'). However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, including punctuation spacing issues ('year , the'), article omissions ('impact on environment'), pluralisation errors ('Tourist often spend'), and subject-verb agreement mistakes ('it can also brings'). While these errors do not severely impede communication, they occur frequently throughout the text, preventing the score from rising into the Band 7 range.

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