Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-27

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)

Nowadays most of the tourists visit the places such as Sahara desert and Antarctic where they faced different challenges. With the help of this essay I am going to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of visiting such places.

Firstly, every individual is different from each and other and because of that we all have different choices when it comes to visit new places. Some people think safety as their first preference when it comes to travelling. For example: I went to whistler last week for me comfort and convenience matter I booked an hotel close to shops, I also checked the weather before I leave from Surrey to make sure I don’t get sick because some times it’s cold in whistler. So, talking about the disadvantages of travelling to the places I mentioned above will be the inconvenience and less comfort.

Secondly, talking about the benefits of visiting these type of places is getting a new experience. People like to travel because they want to feel different type of experience, and for those going to Sahara desert can bring them a kind of experience which they never felt before. Also, it will increase their learning too about the place.

Moreover, not everyone can go to Antarctica, so by going there they also learn how to survive without comfortable weather.

Consequently, I believe going to places such as Sahara desert and Antarctica holds both benefits and drawbacks.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both the benefits and disadvantages of visiting extreme locations. However, the development of ideas is limited. The discussion on disadvantages is brief and relies on a personal anecdote about Whistler, which is not an extreme environment, rather than focusing on the Sahara or Antarctica. The benefits are mentioned but lack depth or specific examples. Furthermore, the response is under the 250-word minimum, which significantly impacts the ability to fully develop the argument as required by the task. To improve, you should provide more detailed explanations and relevant examples for each point.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is somewhat mechanical. The use of cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Moreover' is present but basic. Some transitions feel forced, and the connection between the personal example about Whistler and the main topic of extreme environments is weak, which disrupts the logical flow. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed idea would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You use basic terms such as 'good', 'bad', or 'comfortable' repeatedly. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'comfortable weather' to describe extreme conditions. To achieve a higher score, you should aim to incorporate more sophisticated vocabulary related to travel and extreme environments, such as 'arduous', 'unforgiving', 'unparalleled', or 'resilience'. Focusing on collocations and more precise descriptive language will help elevate your lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, including issues with articles ('the places such as Sahara desert'), subject-verb agreement ('tourists visit... where they faced'), and tense consistency ('before I leave'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of colons and commas. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to affect the clarity of your writing. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and diversifying your sentence structures will lead to improvement.

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

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