Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-04

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)

These days, majority of the visitors are showing interest in exploring places where surviving conditions are very arduous, like the desert called Sahara or the Antarctic. I believe there are both merits and demerits for visitors of visiting such extreme places.

From the perspective of pros of traveling to deserts and cold places, the prominent one is that bag packers can enjoy the completely different environment such as very warm as well as extremely cold . Individuals may make their life more enjoyable and adventurous and collect memories and unique experience. For example, I have seen many travel videos of people who have visited these popular places and everyone is praising them for their unique experience and bravery in comments on you You Tube. Even people are becoming more famous by visiting these challenging places on social media as well as fulfilling their dreams of taking risks. As a result , people are becoming more interested and benefitting themselves by getting popularity and enjoying different weather.

However, there are some drawbacks of travelling to tough places like deserts and cold places where heat waves and minus temperature make survival more difficult. The first disadvantage is that it will a huge impact on the health. To explain it, in deserts people may face health issues like headaches , heat strokes and dehydration whereas in cooler places like the Antarctica visitors might suffer from cold ,skin rashes, frozen body parts in minus temperatures. For instance, some reports shows that some past visitors had lost their lives due to health and other accidents while visiting these kind of places. Ultimately, people should be careful otherwise it will be dangerous for them.

To conclude, although exploring deserts or very cold places would be helpful for people to get unique experiences and become more adventurous but it could be life threatening and people may face major health issues.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both the benefits and disadvantages of visiting extreme environments. The position is clear throughout, and the ideas are relevant. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the benefit of 'popularity on social media' is a modern, relevant point, but it is not fully explored in terms of its broader impact. Similarly, the disadvantages are listed clearly, but the explanation could be more nuanced. The response covers all parts of the prompt, but the supporting examples, such as the mention of YouTube comments, are a bit simplistic. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more depth and analysis for each point raised.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the benefits from the drawbacks. Cohesive devices are present, such as 'From the perspective of', 'However', and 'To conclude', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing and flow. For example, the phrase 'these popular places' in the second paragraph is slightly vague. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, and the structure is coherent, meeting the requirements for a solid band 6 or 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'arduous' and 'life-threatening'. However, there are also some inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as 'bag packers' (usually 'backpackers') and 'minus temperature' (should be 'sub-zero temperatures'). The repetition of 'places' and 'people' suggests a limited range of synonyms. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the intended meaning, it lacks the precision and flexibility required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('the majority', 'the Sahara'), incorrect verb forms ('some reports shows'), and punctuation issues (extra spaces before commas). Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'it will a huge impact on the health'. These errors do not significantly impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles.

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

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