Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-20

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)

Due to increase in transport facilities, it has become easy for people to travel world, especially places like Sahara desert or Antarctica where the weather conditions are severe at times. Just like coin has two sides, exploring different places can have both pros and cons which we will discuss in this essay further.

Firstly, social media and internet has made things easy for people to search and arrange accommodations at this places. Many travel enthusiasts have personal blogs where they share about their journey and when other people read their blogs they get inspired and tend to explore this places themselves which gives them a feeling of achievement. Sometimes, travelers record the videos and take photographs of the life in Sahara desert or Antarctica and share it through tv channels like discovery and national geographic which is a learning experience for the viewers, especially young children. For instance, in a show on national geographic named 'Man vs Wild' the main character visits forests and live there for few months like animals do and share his journey because of which we not only learn about the weather in the forest but how animals like zebra, giraffe and tigers survive.

Many people argue that this kind of exploration has a negative impact as well sometimes on their children. For instance, a kid in 3rd grade read about a scuba diver who went under the sea in Maldives and got a chance to touch different species of fish like star fish and dolphins. The kid felt touched and inspired and therefore, decided to become a scuba diver at the age of 18. When he went under the sea to explore, a shark caught him and he was unable to make it back on the shore. Similarly, mountain climbers who try to follow other climbers who have already climbed Mount Everest, sometimes loose their lives due to severe weather conditions and lack of oxygen.

In conclusion, exploring places with severe weather conditions is only beneficial and advisable if travel enthusiasts have proper training and knowledge about the place. Otherwise, it may cause severe accidents and many times results in lose of lives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both the benefits and disadvantages of visiting extreme environments. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The benefits section focuses heavily on media and inspiration, while the disadvantages section relies on anecdotal examples that are not entirely relevant to the prompt's focus on 'extreme' conditions (e.g., a shark attack in the Maldives is not specific to the Sahara or Antarctica). The position is clear, but the supporting arguments could be more logically connected to the specific challenges of these environments to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Firstly', 'For instance', and 'In conclusion', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical. Referencing is generally clear, although the connection between the paragraphs could be smoother. The use of 'this places' (should be 'these places') and other minor errors in referencing occasionally distract the reader, but the overall structure remains coherent throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to convey their meaning clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'travel enthusiasts' and 'severe weather conditions'. However, there are recurring errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'loose their lives' (should be 'lose') and 'at this places' (should be 'in these places'). The range is sufficient to discuss the topic, but more precise and varied vocabulary would be needed for a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the Sahara desert', 'the Antarctica'), pluralization ('this places'), and verb forms ('live there for few months'). Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'Just like coin has two sides'. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the essay from reaching the 7.0 band, where a higher frequency of error-free sentences is expected.

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