Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-24

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)

Today more and more tourists are visiting places where conditions are difficult, such as the Sahara desert or the Antarctic, which I believe has many disadvantages not only to the environment but also to the wild life in these areas.

If we look at the benefits that tourists provide by visiting places where conditions are difficult is that they boost the economy of that area by supporting local businesses and vendors. This can really help the secluded areas like Africa or the Amazon. Another benefit is when tourist visit these areas, these areas are maintained very well protecting the endangered species and other life around it. Polar Bears in Antarctic are one of the most endangered species, they roam for days in search of food and generally die of starvation, but as humans have set food on Antarctic land they have preserved these species.

If we talk about the disadvantages of tourism in these areas, they are countless. Not all tourist have great civic sense, many litter and disturb the wild life there. More tourist mean more means of transport to these areas thus causing more air pollution, leading to global warming and thus endangering the already endangered species. In the Sahara desert, a lot of motor sports have been introduced to attract tourist like desert safari. These cause a lot of air pollution. Earlier you could see the milky way with naked eyes, but due to high AQI, these natural beauties have been disturbed.

In conclusion, although tourism may have great benefits to wife life in such areas. But in we look at the bigger picture at the end of the day we are causing more damage than benefiting these areas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both the benefits and disadvantages of tourism in difficult environments. However, the development of ideas is inconsistent. For instance, the claim that tourism helps preserve endangered species like polar bears is factually questionable and lacks logical support, as human presence is generally considered a threat to such fragile ecosystems. The position is clear, but the arguments are somewhat superficial. To improve, you should provide more nuanced examples and ensure your reasoning is grounded in reality rather than making broad, unsupported claims. The conclusion is a bit repetitive and could be more effectively linked to the main body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices, such as 'If we look at', 'Another benefit', and 'In conclusion', to signal transitions. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical. For example, the transition between the benefits and disadvantages could be smoother. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the use of 'these areas' which sometimes refers to the environment and other times to the tourist destinations. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring clear pronoun reference would elevate the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'secluded areas', 'endangered species', and 'civic sense'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'set food on Antarctic land' should be 'set foot on', and 'wife life' is a clear typo for 'wildlife'. The phrase 'great civic sense' is slightly unnatural in this context. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding minor spelling errors that, while not impeding communication, detract from the overall professional tone of the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('More tourist mean') and awkward phrasing ('If we look at the benefits that tourists provide by visiting... is that they...'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some run-on sentences and issues with comma usage. To improve, focus on ensuring that your complex sentences are grammatically sound and pay closer attention to pluralization and verb agreement, which are currently inconsistent throughout the text.

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