Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Nowadays, an increasing number of tourists are choosing to visit remote destinations with challenging conditions, such as Sahara Desert and Antarctica. Although such journeys can provide unique experiences and educational benefits, they also involve considerable risks and disadvantages.

One major benefit of visiting these places is the opportunity to experience nature in its most untouched form. For example , visitors to Antarctica can observe penguins, seals and enormous glaciers, which can increase their awareness of the importance of protecting environment. In addition, traveling to difficult locations can help people develop confidence because they have to adapt unfamiliar and sometimes uncomfortable conditions.

However, there are several disadvantages associated with this type of travel. The most significant concern is safety. Extreme temperatures, limited medical facilities and unpredictable weather can put tourists at serious risk. For instance, people travelling across the Sahara may suffer from dehydration or heat exhaustion if they are not properly prepared. Furthermore, travelling to remote areas is generally expensive because specialist equipment, experienced guides and reliable transportation are required.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both the benefits and disadvantages of visiting extreme locations. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which severely limits the development of ideas. While the points regarding environmental awareness and personal growth (benefits) and safety and cost (disadvantages) are relevant, they are presented in a very brief manner. To achieve a higher band, you must expand on your arguments with more detailed explanations, personal anecdotes, or hypothetical scenarios. Because the response is only 170 words, it fails to fully develop the task, resulting in a lower score for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction and separate paragraphs for benefits and disadvantages. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'However', and 'For instance' to link your ideas. The progression of ideas is clear, and the paragraphing is appropriate for the length provided. To improve, you could incorporate a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensure that the transition between sentences is more fluid. Currently, the structure is functional but somewhat mechanical due to the limited length of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'remote destinations', 'unpredictable weather', and 'dehydration'. The word choice is generally accurate and appropriate for the topic. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is little evidence of less common or more sophisticated lexical items. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise collocations and topic-specific vocabulary. For example, instead of 'difficult locations', you could use 'inhospitable environments' or 'extreme terrains' to show greater lexical flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some minor errors, such as the missing article in 'protecting environment' (should be 'the environment') and 'adapt unfamiliar' (should be 'adapt to unfamiliar'). Despite these, your grammar is generally clear and does not impede communication. To improve, you should aim to use a wider variety of complex grammatical structures, such as conditional sentences or passive voice, and ensure greater accuracy in prepositional usage and article placement.

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.