Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-21

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)

People's visiting interests are shifting to places with extreme weather conditions from the normal destinations. Many are eager to experience hotter or colder environments than the usual temperature. This trend seeks attention from adventurers as it gives them chances to see the life there, however there is always a fear unknown.

Initially, the adventure lovers go to excessively hot or cold places to see how is the life spent there. It give them a chance to explore the harsh side of nature and to see how animals and vegetation survive those conditions. Moreover, these climates connect them to the nature as there are no manmade things. People normally see the softer side of environment, whereas these areas show how different the things can be on the same planet. Additionally, it provides a sense of gratitude upon surviving tough times there, which are unbearable in normal life. Consequently, adventure seekers feel thrilled and amazed by this side of nature.

On the contrary, living in those conditions comes with it's own hardships. For instance, a recent news showed a crew went to Antarctic and never came back. Their ships was hit by a huge iceberg which eventually crashed the ship and some people were drowned. Meanwhile the others, who survived the accident, passed away with cold temperature, hunger and absence of shelter before the help arrived. As a result, one never knows what is going to happen in such areas, which is the biggest drawback of this trend.

Although visiting difficult weather conditions provides people a chance for adventure like living with few help and enjoy the tough side of nature along with making them feel gratitude towards it, but the fear always remains there. No matter how much visitors are prepared for the unexpected, mishappenings are inevitable.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both the benefits and disadvantages of visiting extreme environments. The ideas are relevant, such as the desire to witness harsh nature and the inherent dangers of such travel. However, the development is somewhat limited. For instance, the benefit of 'gratitude' is mentioned but not fully explored, and the example of the Antarctic expedition is a bit generic. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced explanations of why these experiences are personally rewarding or how they impact the environment. The position is clear throughout, and the response covers all parts of the prompt adequately.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. You use cohesive devices such as 'Initially', 'Moreover', 'On the contrary', and 'Consequently' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive. The referencing is generally clear, though the flow between sentences could be improved by varying the structure of your linking phrases. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and there is a clear progression of ideas from the benefits to the drawbacks and finally to a summary conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'extreme weather conditions', 'adventurers', and 'inevitable'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'fear unknown' (should be 'fear of the unknown') and 'few help' (should be 'little help'). You attempt to use less common items, but some collocations are slightly unnatural. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score. Expanding your repertoire of topic-specific collocations would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you successfully use complex sentences, there are several persistent grammatical errors. Examples include 'People's visiting interests' (awkward phrasing), 'It give them' (subject-verb agreement error), 'it's own hardships' (incorrect use of apostrophe), and 'Their ships was hit' (number agreement error). These errors are noticeable but do not generally impede communication. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and punctuation, and try to incorporate a wider variety of error-free complex structures.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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