Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-02
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Today more and more tourists are visiting places where conditions are difficult, such as the Sahara desert or the Antarctic.
What are the benefits and disadvantages for tourists who visit such places?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
In todays era, number of tourists are visiting challenging regions that has extreme weather conditions such as deserts and polar regions. This can give totally different experience as one need to be in a totally unique environment for few days during the trip. This essay will discuss several advantages and potential drawbacks in upcoming paragraphs.
On one hand, choosing places such as deserts and polar regions for adventurous trip can provide one a totally different experience as you have to hustle to get adapt to the totally new environment which can provide you strength.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, containing only 94 words. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed. While the introduction mentions both advantages and drawbacks, the body paragraph only begins to touch upon the benefits and fails to develop any ideas regarding the disadvantages. The response lacks the necessary depth and length to fully explore the prompt, resulting in a severely underdeveloped argument. To improve, you must ensure you write at least 250 words and provide balanced, well-supported points for both sides of the argument.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay shows a basic attempt at logical organization with an introduction and the start of a body paragraph. However, because the response is incomplete, the overall progression is interrupted. Cohesive devices are used in a very limited and somewhat repetitive manner (e.g., 'On one hand'). The paragraphing is insufficient as the essay ends abruptly before the discussion of disadvantages can even begin. To achieve a higher score, you need to develop full paragraphs with clear topic sentences and a wider variety of linking words to connect your ideas smoothly.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for basic communication but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on simple phrasing such as 'totally different experience' and 'hustle to get adapt'. There are also minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'number of tourists are visiting' (should be 'a number of tourists are visiting') and 'get adapt' (should be 'adapt'). To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to travel and environmental challenges, and pay closer attention to correct word forms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the flow. For example, 'In todays era' is missing an apostrophe, 'number of tourists are' should be 'a number of tourists is', and 'regions that has' should be 'regions that have'. Additionally, 'get adapt' is grammatically incorrect. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors limits the score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and basic punctuation to improve your accuracy.
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