Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-29

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)

Nowadays many people like to travel to the far ends of the world to experience the unseen landscapes and terrains. While in some cases an increase in tourism at such places benefit the local communities and aware the visitors of the existence of such worlds, on the other hand sometimes these travelers bring unknown danger with them.

To begin with, the main drawback of uncontrolled tourism to remote landscapes is littering and pollution of natural resources. People travel with packaged food, portable motor vehicles, and in large transportation vessels like cruise ships. All of it contribute to deteriorating the local environment and raising danger to native flora and fauna. For example, when plastic of unwrapped food is not properly disposed, it can alter and enter in the food chain of the animals, suffocating them to death. In addition, use of motor vehicles like dirt bikes and jet skis produce noise and air pollution, disturbing the harmony of the place.

However, it is often argued that the increasing tourism provides a boost in local economy by enabling citizen to take part in tourism related businesses and activities. For instance, in some African desert areas local communities are earning better livelihood because of the employment offered by the hotels, resorts, and restaurant at such places. Furthermore, these difficultly accessed hamlets show a different calmer and slow lifestyle, making visitors aware of a strange way of living. Nevertheless, traveling to distant regions can only be beneficial for the locals and the travelers if it is strictly controlled and monitored.

In conclusion, while traveling offer a lot of advantages to the native communities, t

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both the benefits and disadvantages of tourism in extreme environments. The position is clear from the introduction, and the main ideas are relevant. However, the essay is incomplete, as it cuts off abruptly in the conclusion. This prevents the full development of the final summary and limits the overall impact of the argument. While the body paragraphs provide sufficient examples, such as the impact on local flora and fauna and the economic benefits for African desert communities, the lack of a finished conclusion means the task is not fully completed. To improve, ensure you manage your time effectively to allow for a comprehensive conclusion that synthesizes the main points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central theme. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with,' 'However,' and 'Furthermore' are used effectively to guide the reader through the argument. The progression of ideas is generally smooth, moving from the negative environmental impacts to the positive economic and cultural aspects. However, the abrupt ending significantly disrupts the coherence of the final section. While the paragraphing is appropriate for the length provided, the lack of a completed conclusion makes the overall structure feel unfinished, which prevents a higher score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. You demonstrate the ability to use topic-specific terms such as 'native flora and fauna,' 'uncontrolled tourism,' and 'natural resources.' There are some minor inaccuracies, such as 'difficultly accessed hamlets' (should be 'difficult to access') and 'aware the visitors' (should be 'make visitors aware'). While the range is adequate to convey your meaning clearly, there is limited use of more sophisticated or idiomatic expressions that would elevate the response to a higher band. Focusing on more precise collocations will help improve your lexical score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is a positive feature. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'All of it contribute' (should be 'contributes'), 'plastic of unwrapped food' (should be 'unwrapped food packaging'), and 'traveling offer' (should be 'traveling offers'). These errors are frequent but do not generally impede communication. To reach a higher band, you should aim for greater accuracy in subject-verb agreement and preposition usage. Additionally, try to incorporate a wider variety of complex grammatical structures, such as conditional sentences or passive voice, to demonstrate more flexibility.

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

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