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)

In recent times, there has been a sudden uprisal in tourists and their inclination towards hard adventurous expeditions. These places could include either extremes, such as burning hot deserts of Sahara or cold freezing glaciers of Antarctica. But these tourists would accept the challenge for difficult and tough journeys in order to fulfill their desire for thrill, gain different experiences and to validate their sense of accomplishment.

One of the major advantage that tourists acquire by going to these remote difficult locations is by broadening their horizons. They arm themselves with unseen circumstances making them ready for any challenging situation. They train themselves to make spontaneous decisions and take impromptu actions in various conditions, thus making their judgmental skills far better than others. These tourists are always motivating themselves to aspire for harder journeys thus improving their survical skills and instincts. On top of all that they get to live joy of that adrenaline rush, most of us are lacking in our lives.

On the other hand contrary to all the good experiences, comes the turmoil of travelling to such destinations. This could include reaching to your desired difficult terrain, any harsh weather conditions, limited medical and healthcare facilities, limited range of food, language barriers, connectivity issues and lack of basic lifesyle necessities.

I would like to highlight one of my recent travel with my friend group to a far-flung remote area of Northern Pakistan. We ended up in a walled-off community called as kaleshi tribe, which put us in a difficult spot to establish commincation with them due to language barrier. Thus, this lead us to facing hard time obtaining accomodation, food and directions for our way forward.

In order to conclude this, i belive challenging oneself to obtain various experiences and ability to master survical instincts is the crux of life. However on the other hand one needs to make sure they are well-prepared and take adequate measures to combat with any sort of situation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the benefits and disadvantages of visiting extreme locations like the Sahara or Antarctica. The position is clear throughout, with the writer supporting their ideas with relevant reasons, such as personal growth and adrenaline rushes, alongside downsides like harsh weather and limited facilities. Ideas are extended, particularly through the inclusion of a personal example regarding the Kaleshi tribe in Pakistan. While the development is generally good, some points in the body paragraphs could be elaborated further to reach a higher band. Nevertheless, the requirements of the prompt are fully met with a well-developed argument, earning a solid Band 7.0.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a clear overall progression and logical organization. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, benefits, disadvantages, personal example, and conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as 'One of the major advantage', 'On the other hand', and 'In order to conclude this'. However, there are some mechanical or slightly awkward transitions, and referencing is occasionally clunky, as seen in 'thus this lead us to facing hard time'. Paragraphs generally maintain a clear central topic, but cohesion could be tightened to achieve a smoother flow. This aligns well with the Band 6.5 descriptors, rounding to 6.5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a range of vocabulary with some less common items, such as 'inclination', 'impetus', 'adrenaline rush', and 'far-flung remote area'. There are, however, several lexical errors and awkward word choices throughout the text, such as 'sudden uprisal' (instead of surge/rise), 'survical' (survival), 'live joy of that adrenaline rush', and 'accomodation' (accommodation). Spelling errors and slight inaccuracies in collocation (e.g., 'lead us to facing') prevent the response from reaching a higher band. Despite these errors, the vocabulary is adequate to convey meaning clearly, fitting the Band 6.0 criteria.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt at varied grammatical structures. Examples include relative clauses and participial phrases, such as 'These places could include either extremes, such as burning hot deserts...'. However, there are frequent grammatical and punctuation errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('One of the major advantage that'), tense inconsistencies ('this lead us to'), and missing articles ('to live joy of that'). Punctuation is also weak in places, particularly with comma splices. While these errors do not seriously impede communication, their frequency places the response firmly in the Band 6.0 category.

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