Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-05

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)

In the modern era, tourism is increasing significantly at the places where conditions are not appropriate for living. Although, travelling to the places like Sahara desert or the Antarctic provides the unique experience, there are also some risks with such trips.

One major advantage of visiting the places where conditions are hard is it enhance the horizon of the individual. When the person travel to new place then one not only explore different cultures but also get to know how to survive in challenging conditions, which develop confidence and problem solving skills among the individual. Furthermore, these type of trips provide new experience which makes the journey more memorable and increase peoples understanding towards nature. Hence, one is encouraged to protect the environment.

On the other hand the drawback of living is the places where temperature is extremely high or low cause serious health issues, especially for the tourists who are not well prepared for harsh conditions. Besides this, these trips are expensive because one need special gears, tourist guide and a transport which is quiet expensive in such places. consequently, these types of trip is only affordable for people with high income. Moreover, a large number of visitors could damage ecosystems and disturb wildlife.

To conclude, traveling to the different type of places make the trip never forgettable and provides knowledge about different culture. However, there is a risk of health problems to the tourists who are not well prepared for the weather conditions and trips are expensive for the people with low income.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both the benefits and disadvantages of visiting extreme environments. The ideas are relevant, such as personal growth and environmental awareness for benefits, and health risks and environmental damage for drawbacks. However, the development of these points is somewhat superficial. For instance, the mention of 'problem solving skills' is a good start but lacks specific examples or further explanation to fully flesh out the argument. The position is clear throughout, and the response covers all parts of the prompt, though the depth of analysis could be improved to reach a higher band by providing more concrete illustrations of the challenges or benefits mentioned.

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 such as 'Furthermore', 'On the other hand', and 'Consequently' are used to link ideas, although some transitions feel slightly mechanical. There are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the phrase 'drawback of living is the places', which is slightly awkward and impacts the smooth progression of ideas. Overall, the information is arranged coherently, and the reader can easily follow the writer's argument from start to finish.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their meaning clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'ecosystems', 'wildlife', and 'challenging conditions'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'enhance the horizon' (usually 'broaden the horizons') and 'special gears' (gear is an uncountable noun). The range is sufficient to discuss the topic, but the lack of more sophisticated or precise lexical items limits the score. The errors do not impede communication, but they do highlight a need for more natural phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the writer attempts complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'these type of trips', 'these types of trip is') and article usage (e.g., 'travel to new place'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are missing commas in complex sentences. Despite these errors, the meaning is rarely obscured, and the reader can understand the intended message. To improve, the writer should focus on mastering basic agreement rules and refining the use of articles and pluralization.

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