Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-09

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)

In recent years, visitors exploring unexplored areas of the world have become increasingly common. Although this development offers several advantages, such as learning about survival or for thrill, it also presents certain disadvantages, such as no proper shelters to live in or facilities in case of emergencies.

One of the main advantages of going on places which were not meant for ideal human survival is that people like to go on places with limited facilities and to challenge themselves if they could survive ideally, which gives them a sense of accomplishment. This is because this era is the era of social media; people try different things to stand out and gain more attention from their audience when they post content related to it on YouTube or Instagram. For example, a content creator named Bear grills and goes on such places as the Grand Canyon to make content about how to survive there. As a result, they earn money and become a well-known personality.

Despite these benefits, visiting such places also has some drawbacks. The most significant disadvantage is that during life-threatening emergencies it is hard for the visitors to reach out for help. This is because in those places there is no network coverage to contact someone to send help, and they have to lose their lives sometimes. For instance, as per a report by The Times of India, one out of every five members who visit such places has lost their life due to sickness or wildlife attack. Consequently, visiting such places poses a high risk of fatalities.

In conclusion, although visiting places where conditions are difficult has both advantages and disadvantages, I believe that its drawbacks outweigh its advantages because in this world nothing could be more valuable than an individual's life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both the benefits and disadvantages of extreme tourism. The position is clear throughout, and the main ideas are relevant. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the discussion on the 'sense of accomplishment' is tied heavily to social media, which is a valid point but could have been expanded to include the psychological benefits of overcoming adversity. The example of 'Bear grills' (Bear Grylls) is a bit informal and lacks precision. To reach a higher band, ensure that examples are more universally applicable and that the analysis of the benefits and drawbacks is more balanced and deeply explored.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the benefits from the drawbacks. Cohesive devices such as 'One of the main advantages', 'Despite these benefits', and 'Consequently' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be smoother. For example, the link between the social media point and the example of the content creator is clear, but the flow between sentences within the paragraphs could be more sophisticated to improve the overall progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'life-threatening emergencies' and 'fatalities'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'going on places' (should be 'visiting places') and 'lose their lives sometimes' (which is slightly unnatural). The spelling of 'Bear grills' is incorrect. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring that the vocabulary used is consistently appropriate for a formal essay context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally distract the reader. For example, 'visitors exploring unexplored areas... have become increasingly common' is a bit clunky, and 'if they could survive ideally' is grammatically awkward. There are also minor issues with preposition usage, such as 'go on places' instead of 'go to places'. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. Increasing the variety of error-free complex structures would be beneficial.

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