Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-09

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, more and more people are visiting very challenging places such as the Sahara Desert and Antarctica.

Firstly, many of them like to enjoy and explore the world. Some of them want to make a documentary movie on some species they find in the desert and some cold places. Moreover, a lot of people like to do adventurous things in their lives. This is truly understandable. Additionally, some people choose challenging places in life because they want to make that their whole life. It is human nature to explore difficult places in the world. Many of us have a lot of hobbies to do some challenging tasks in our lives.

Secondly, there are many aspects of doing challenging tasks that many of die without knowing. Recently, we have had one big tragedy for all of us.

For instance, Nepal had a big flood; many of the tourists died, or no one knows where they are.

However, there are some demerits or demrits in challenging tasks. For instance, visiting the Sahara Desert is not a piece of cake. First, you need to know the climate, altitude, food, and heat. Additionally, if you plan to visit, you need to give your personal information to your family just in case any circumstances happen; they already know your plans.

In conclusion, visiting challenging places is good to know the history, culture, and traditions. But the most essential thing is your safety.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both benefits and disadvantages, but the development is limited. The ideas are somewhat repetitive, particularly in the first paragraph, and the discussion of disadvantages lacks depth. The essay also fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, which significantly impacts the ability to fully develop the arguments. While the position is clear, the supporting examples, such as the mention of a flood in Nepal, are not clearly linked to the prompt's focus on extreme environments like the Sahara or Antarctica. To improve, you should expand on your points with more specific examples and ensure the essay meets the length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is somewhat disjointed. The use of cohesive devices is basic and occasionally mechanical, such as the repetitive use of 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Additionally'. Some transitions feel forced, and the logical flow between sentences is sometimes weak. For example, the transition from the benefits of exploration to the tragedy in Nepal is abrupt and lacks a clear connection. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus would help improve 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 rely on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'challenging places' and 'do some challenging tasks'. There are also minor errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'demrits' instead of 'demerits'. To achieve a higher score, you should aim to use more sophisticated vocabulary and collocations related to the topic, such as 'extreme environments', 'inherent risks', or 'logistical complexities', rather than repeating basic terms throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'many of die without knowing' (which is unclear) and 'make that their whole life'. Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence construction is often simplistic. While the errors do not completely impede communication, they are noticeable and occur frequently enough to limit the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed accurately will help improve your grammatical control.

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

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