Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-19
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 today’s era , trend of tourism is reaching heights. Although, there are some visiting places where conditions for tourists are not favourable like Sahara desert or the Atlantic but still people are visiting these places.Through this essay, all the optimistic and pessimistic aspects of visiting such places will be discussed.
To begin with, the most important reason for people visting these places is the history of these places. To epitomize, Sahara desert has a very vast and interesting history which makes people curious about it and due to its proficient history it has became a major tourist spot for people in recent years . However, people also visit there because they want to feel different climate conditions as compared to their hometowns.
Furthermore, as every coin has two sides, therefore, visiting such places sometimes prove to be dangerous as recent reports show that most of the accidents happen during traveling are in places like Sahara or Atlantic . Adding to it, these places are quite lavish as compared to other tourist spots . So, these tourist spots imbalance the budget of middle class families and are only affordable for luxurious people.
Laconically, the tourist spots having difficult conditions are the right spots for the people who want to explore captivating history but on the other hand , its quite dangerous too. So, people should think wisely before traveling to such places
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both benefits and disadvantages. However, the development of ideas is limited. For instance, the point about 'history' is vague, and the claim that these places are 'lavish' is confusing and lacks logical support. Furthermore, the essay fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which significantly impacts the depth of the response. To improve, you should expand on your arguments with more specific examples and ensure you meet the length requirement to allow for a full exploration of the topic.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into paragraphs, and there is a basic attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'Laconically'. However, some transitions feel mechanical or misused, such as 'Laconically' to introduce a conclusion, which is not standard usage. The progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the link between history and tourism is not clearly explained. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words will help the flow of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using words like 'optimistic', 'pessimistic', 'epitomize', and 'captivating'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'proficient history' (history is not proficient), 'luxurious people' (wealthy/affluent is more appropriate), and 'lavish' to describe a location's cost. These errors occasionally impede the precision of your meaning. Expanding your vocabulary to include more natural collocations will help you achieve a higher score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including missing articles ('the Sahara desert'), incorrect verb forms ('has became'), and punctuation issues (spaces before commas). While the meaning is generally clear, these errors are persistent throughout the text. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles. Additionally, try to proofread your work to catch minor mechanical errors that detract from the overall quality of your writing.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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