Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Complete Catalyst · 2026-09-24
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
The ease of international travel and the spread of various kinds of mass media all over the world have made it more possible than ever for people to know how other people live in other countries.
Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?
You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with examples and relevant evidence. Write at least 250 words.
Student answer (Band 5.0)
Nowadays, there has been a boom in the use of social media and other online platforms worldwide. Every development has its own drawbacks as well as advantages. I have a partial opinion on the pros and cons of the ease of international travel and the spread of different kinds of mass media.
These days, people have involved themselves in the world of social media. The increase in international travel is due to more accessible platforms like Skyscanner and MakeMyTrip. Also, the influence through online platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, etc has spiked. Due to all these applications, people are aware of the activities and lifestyles of people living in other countries. Whether it is about flight prices or daily affairs. Due to overseas travelling, people get to experience various lifestyles as well as cultures. It keeps people aware of the traditions of different places and makes one feel like discovering exotic, unknown places. Exploring new and unknown places has proven to be the most relaxing as well as comforting experience to have. This is now increasing due to expanding mass media platforms worldwide.
One of the main reason of boost in international travelling is the internet, as it is the most influential platform which makes people to visit several places. As platforms like instagram and Facebook keep showing photos of family and friends at exotic and beautiful places in other countries. On seeing such photos, the desires of one starts getting started.
In conclusion, the increase in travelling is the result of affordable flight prices and the influencing social media. There are several advantages, such as reduction in stress, increase in awarness and exploring.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt generally by discussing the impacts of international travel and mass media, but it fails to fully weigh whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, which is a core requirement of the prompt. Instead, the essay mostly lists advantages such as 'reduction in stress, increase in awarness and exploring' without presenting a balanced view or a clear overarching position. Ideas are introduced, such as the role of platforms like Instagram, but they remain somewhat superficial and lack deep development or robust supporting examples. According to the band descriptors, this performance aligns best with Band 5, as the task is addressed only partially and the writer's position and conclusion regarding the relative weight of pros versus cons are not fully clear.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay displays a basic overall structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion, fitting the broad criteria for Band 5. However, the logical progression is frequently disrupted. For example, the transition between discussing social media platforms in paragraph two and repeating the point about Instagram and Facebook in paragraph three feels repetitive and disjointed rather than progressively developed. Furthermore, paragraphing is somewhat erratic; the third paragraph consists of only a couple of sentences that reiterate previous points. Cohesive devices are used, but they are sometimes mechanical or inaccurate, such as starting sentences abruptly with 'Also' or 'Due to all these applications', leading to referencing that is not always entirely clear to the reader.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student demonstrates a minimally adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'international travel', 'mass media', 'exotic', and 'traditions'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies, awkward word choices, and spelling errors, such as 'awarness' instead of awareness, 'travelling' used where travel is more natural, and phrasing like 'the desires of one starts getting started'. Less common lexical items are attempted but lack precision and natural collocation. Consequently, the vocabulary range is restricted and occasionally causes slight strain for the reader, fitting the Band 5 descriptor profile well.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating relative clauses and prepositional phrases (e.g., 'platforms like Skyscanner and MakeMyTrip'). However, attempts at complex structures frequently result in grammatical errors and fragments, such as the sentence fragment starting with 'Whether it is about flight prices' or the awkward construction 'makes people to visit'. Subject-verb agreement and preposition usage also show frequent inaccuracies, as seen in 'One of the main reason of boost'. While communication is not entirely obscured, the high frequency of grammatical errors and faulty complex structures places this performance firmly in the Band 5 category.
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.