Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-18
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 this modern era, visitors prefer to visit places which is not in a good condition like, Sardha dessert. There are various merits and drawbacks of visiting these place, which are explained in the following paragraphs.
Visiting a place which are not in good condition has ample benefits. First and foremost, tourists want to explore that place, in which they can gain knowledge and get information different from others. Apart from this, travellers wish to do certain adventure, which the particular place provide. In this way, they may experience something new as well as do their personal growth. Majority of youngsters, for example, experience new adventure in Atlantic, which is impossible to do.
However, there are many disadvantages of visiting place, where condition are difficult. Firstly, travelling this places can be more expensive, because in their is no public transportation available as well as need expert guide to visit. Secondly, it requires their is chances of risk and health. Thus, these place do not have quick medical service. If visitor need any emergency, they might not get treatment as soon as possible. To exemplify, according to a survey, 60% of visitors lost their life, as they did not get proper oxygen in Himalaya mountain.
To conclude, travellers are most like to visit places where is difficult situation in recent time. I think they are putting their previous life in danger zone.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses both the benefits and disadvantages of visiting extreme environments. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of the arguments. While the ideas are relevant, they are somewhat underdeveloped; for instance, the point about 'personal growth' is mentioned but not explained with sufficient detail. The example regarding the Himalayas is a bit extreme and lacks clarity in its presentation. To improve, you should expand on your points with more specific examples and ensure you meet the word count to allow for a more thorough exploration of the topic.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some basic cohesive devices such as 'First and foremost', 'Apart from this', and 'However'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where referencing is unclear, such as 'travelling this places'. The progression of ideas is logical, but the connection between sentences could be smoother. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your pronouns and references clearly point back to the intended nouns.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. There are several spelling errors, such as 'dessert' instead of 'desert' and 'Sardha' (likely Sahara). Some word choices are also unnatural, such as 'previous life' instead of 'precious life' or 'lives'. You rely on basic vocabulary and struggle with collocations, such as 'do certain adventure'. To improve, try to learn topic-specific vocabulary related to travel and risk, and pay closer attention to spelling and word formation.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You frequently struggle with subject-verb agreement, such as 'places which is not' and 'condition are difficult'. There are also issues with article usage and prepositions, for example, 'in their is no public transportation'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to distract the reader. To improve, focus on basic grammatical rules like pluralisation and subject-verb agreement, and proofread your work to catch these common slips.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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