Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-09-27

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 6.0)

There has been a trend recently about many tourists visiting places with challenging conditions, such as the Antarctic or the Sahara desert. The benefits and disadvantages of such trips go hand in hand and I am going to discuss a few of them here.

Traveling is one of the most important aspect of one's life, some people regard it as a major factor in shaping their character. Our planet earth possesses a huge amount of terrains and landscapes and each one of them is unique in itself. As a traveler myself, I usually travel to common tourist destinations that are convenient and cost efficient. Then, there are travel enthusiasts who like to challenge themselves by visiting places with difficult conditions like weather, journey or terrain. The advantages of traveling to these places is that it gives you a greater sense of adventure. Your body learns to adapt to different conditions especially extreme weather. Additionally, if you have completed a challenging hike or faced a difficult terrain it can help you become more physically fit. You can make videos and post them on social media so people can get to know about these amazing places and the challenges that come along. Overall the uniqueness of such places give you a wholesome sense of achievement and you have a wonderful story to tell when you reach back home. Tough conditions make you a tougher person which helps as a whole in shaping up your character.

In contrast, there are a few disadvantages of visiting places like these. One significant disadvantage is the inconvenience of traveling to such a place. Most of these places are hard to reach so you might need to take a long flight, a cruise ship or sometimes a difficult hike which can be very tiring. Then, there is also lack of amneties such as good food or a comfortable hotel because most of these places are remote. Extreme weather conditions like cold winds of the Antarctic or humid conditions of the Sahara, can also take a toll on your health if you are not used to it or not strong enough. I want to recall a similar occurence as an example here; when I visited UAE for the first time I took a trip to desert Safari during day-time and I was not fimiliar with the severity of conditions there. I did not cover my head with appropriate head gear and weather was too hot as sun was shining straight on my head which made me seriously sick. I was diagnosed with Jaundice the next day.

In conclusions, advantages and disadvantages of visiting such places go hand in hand. It all depends on how prepared and how tough you are.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the benefits and disadvantages of visiting remote and challenging destinations. The position is clear throughout the essay, and ideas are extended and supported with relevant explanations and a personal anecdote. For instance, the writer highlights benefits such as adventure, physical fitness, and character building, while contrasting them with disadvantages like long travel times, lack of amenities, and health risks. However, the personal example regarding the UAE desert safari focuses slightly too much on an ordinary desert rather than extreme places like the Antarctic or Sahara proper, and the discussion could have benefited from a slightly broader perspective on global tourism trends. Nevertheless, all prompt requirements are met satisfactorily, corresponding well to a Band 7 level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a clear central topic, moving from the introduction to the advantages, disadvantages, and a brief conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'Additionally', 'In contrast', and 'Then', though transitional phrasing can occasionally feel a bit repetitive or mechanical. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately to separate the different sections of the prompt. However, referencing is occasionally slightly loose, and some transitions between sentences within the body paragraphs could be smoother. Overall, the structural progression is clear and easy to follow, supporting a solid Band 7 score.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'enthusiasts', 'adapt', 'amenities', and 'remote'. However, there are several spelling errors ('aspect' instead of 'aspects', 'amneties', 'occurence', 'fimiliar') and occasional minor collocation or word choice slips ('journey or terrain' instead of terrain or climate). While the vocabulary allows the writer to convey their ideas with reasonable precision, these errors indicate a lack of full control over more complex lexical items. Because communication is never impeded, the vocabulary profile fits the Band 6 descriptor well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures (e.g., 'if you have completed a challenging hike...'). There are, however, several grammatical inaccuracies and punctuation slips throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement errors ('one of the most important aspect') and run-on structures ('In conclusions, advantages and disadvantages...'). Although complex structures are attempted, they are sometimes accompanied by minor errors. The majority of simple sentences are clear and correct, and the errors rarely impede communication, placing this response firmly in the Band 6 category.

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