Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-06
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 6.5)
Nowadays, increasing number of visitors are choosing destinations for travelling which are rare and have very harsh conditions for human life such as Sahara desert or the Antarctic. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this idea that will be discussed in this essay.
On the brighter side, these places are natural milestones and are immensely beautiful. There are very beautiful creatures such as Penguins at Antarctic, which are the center of eyes. Apart from their beauty, these places are rarely visited and due to the extreme challenges are there to reach at such places, individuals can enjoy the thrill in such journeys and may experience the unexperienced. They may become one of the few people who visit to these places ever. For example, to visit Antarctic, thousands of people apply and pay hefty amounts, but only few are selected and given the opportunity to land on Antarctic.
On the Darker side, Such places could be life threatening because of the severe conditions. These places are considerably farther from any city or village where there are people around for help or any first-aid station. In case of emergency, saving a person's life would be not possible. Moreover, due to limited number of people at such places, It is really hard to seek any help if one gets lost or lose track of their group. Also, there are natural disasters sometimes such as Avalanche, Cyclone and Wild animals which are also a threat. For instance, recently a group of climbers lost their lives in an avalanche while climbing on the Mount Everest.
In conclusion, even though such places may offer splendid views and lifetime experience, the dangers of visiting such places are life threatening. One should be well prepared of the challenges and have all the arrangements made to deal with any kind of emergency.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0
The essay addresses both the benefits and disadvantages of visiting extreme environments. The ideas are relevant and clearly presented, such as the thrill of exploration versus the life-threatening nature of these locations. The position is consistent throughout. To reach a higher band, the development of ideas could be more nuanced; for instance, the 'benefits' section could explore the psychological or educational value of such travel more deeply rather than focusing primarily on the novelty. However, all parts of the prompt are addressed, and the response is well-structured.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the advantages and disadvantages. Cohesive devices such as 'On the brighter side', 'Apart from', and 'Moreover' are used to guide the reader through the argument. While some transitions are slightly mechanical, the progression of ideas is clear throughout the text. Referencing is generally accurate, though some minor improvements in sentence-level flow would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
The vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly. The student uses some topic-specific terms like 'natural milestones', 'hefty amounts', and 'life-threatening'. There are some minor issues with collocation and word choice, such as 'center of eyes' (should be 'center of attention') and 'unexperienced' (should be 'unprecedented' or 'new experiences'). Despite these occasional inaccuracies, the range of vocabulary is adequate for the task and does not impede communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('the Sahara desert', 'the Antarctic'), subject-verb agreement issues ('increasing number of visitors are'), and awkward phrasing ('there are to reach at such places'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not prevent the reader from understanding the message. To improve, the student should focus on article usage and prepositional accuracy to increase the frequency of error-free sentences.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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