Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-23

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)

In recent years, places like Sahara desert or the Antarctic are getting widely share tourist attractions. Despite being challenging destination, their is increase in number of tourists who likes to visit such places. Although travelling in this kind of places can provide unique experiences and opportunities for personal development, their are also chances of high risk and difficulties.

One major benefit of visiting such destinations is that tourists can gain unique and memorable experiences. Unlike conventional holidays, trips to places such as Antarctica or the Sahara allow people to experience unusual landscapes, wildlife and weather conditions. For example, visitors to Antarctica can observe glaciers and penguins in their natural environment, which is an experience that most people cannot have in their everyday lives. In addition, travelling in challenging conditions can help people become more confident and independent because they have to adapt to unfamiliar situations.

However, visiting extreme destinations also has several disadvantages, particularly in terms of safety and comfort. Tourists may face serious health risks because of extreme temperatures, dehydration or limited access to medical facilities. For instance, someone travelling through the Sahara without adequate preparation could suffer from severe dehydration or heatstroke. Furthermore, these trips can be expensive and physically demanding, as visitors may need specialised equipment, experienced guides and carefully organised transportation. Consequently, what is intended to be an exciting holiday may become stressful or uncomfortable for some tourists.

In conclusion, travelling to remote and challenging destinations can give tourists memorable experiences and help them develop greater confidence. However, such trips can also expose them to health and safety risks and may be costly and physically demanding. Overall, these destinations can be rewarding for well-prepared travellers, but tourists should carefully consider the difficulties involved before visiting them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying both benefits and disadvantages of visiting extreme environments. The position is clear throughout, and the ideas are extended with relevant examples, such as observing wildlife in Antarctica and the health risks of Sahara travel. The development is logical and balanced, meeting the requirements of the task well. To reach a higher band, you could provide slightly more depth in the analysis of the 'personal development' aspect mentioned in the introduction, as it is touched upon but not fully explored in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organised with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the benefits from the disadvantages. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'However', 'For instance', and 'Consequently' are used to guide the reader through the argument. The progression of ideas is smooth and easy to follow. The referencing is generally clear, though there are minor issues with subject-verb agreement that occasionally disrupt the flow, such as 'their is increase' and 'their are also chances'.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to convey ideas with precision. You use topic-specific terms like 'extreme destinations', 'dehydration', 'heatstroke', and 'specialised equipment' appropriately. There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, which is generally successful. However, there are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'getting widely share' (should be 'becoming widely shared') and 'in this kind of places' (should be 'in these kinds of places'). These errors do not impede communication but prevent a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are clear, there are persistent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('their is increase', 'their are also chances') and article usage ('the Sahara desert'). The use of 'their' instead of 'there' is a recurring error that affects accuracy. Despite these slips, the meaning is always clear, and the punctuation is generally accurate. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic grammatical consistency and ensuring the correct use of existential 'there'.

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