Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-10

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 6.5)

An increasing number of travellers are visiting dangerous places such as Sahara desert or the Antarctic, where living conditions are very adverse. There are both the benefits and drawbacks of this trend which this essay will discuss.

On the brighter side, exploring such attaractions give the explorers a sense of accomplishment. The reason for this is that due to such harsh conditions of life, these places are hardly ever visited by individuals. It requires a lot of research, efforts and confidence to finally reach such places. Therefore, only a limited number of tourists can reach there, and being one of them is a pride in itself. For example, Antarctic being severely cold is only accessible for a shotest period of time during a whole year, making it possible for only a small number of people to visit.

On the contrary, Travelling to these places includes life threatening challenges. Both of them have extreme weather conditions, the Sahara being the hottest and the Antarctic being the coldest continent. Providing no human presence or transportation, there are no any facilities such as medical, food and shelter. In case of an emergency, it becomes very difficult to survive there in such extreme conditions with no any help available. Furthermore, journey to these locations is significantly costly and even doubles if travelling with a partner.

In the conclusion, while visiting such places is a lifelong experience and an accomplishment in itself, but the challenges that this journey involve can be fatal and one can even lose their life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both sides of the question and maintain a clear overall view: visiting remote environments can bring pride and a memorable experience, but also serious danger and expense. The example of Antarctica’s short visiting season supports the benefit of exclusivity, while the discussion of emergency risks is relevant. This meets the task well, with some elements of a more fully developed response. However, the benefits are narrower and less explored than the disadvantages: the sense of accomplishment is explained, but other possible benefits, such as learning about unusual environments, are absent. The cost point is also introduced without explaining why it is a disadvantage beyond being expensive. Develop these ideas with specific consequences or examples to make the response more balanced and convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear four-part structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for benefits and drawbacks, and a conclusion. The progression from the difficulty of reaching these places to the resulting sense of achievement is easy to follow, and signposts such as “On the brighter side” and “On the contrary” make the contrast clear. This is a logical overall organisation with a consistent line of development. Some linking is slightly mechanical, however, and the conclusion repeats the main contrast rather than drawing the points together. The phrase “while … but” also creates an awkward relationship between the two ideas. Use a wider range of natural transitions and make the final sentence synthesise the risks and rewards more smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “harsh conditions,” “sense of accomplishment,” “extreme weather conditions,” and “life-threatening challenges.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and some less common expressions show an effort to be precise. However, several word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems reduce accuracy: “attaractions,” “shotest,” “a pride in itself,” and “no any facilities” are not natural or correct forms. “Dangerous places” and “extreme conditions” are also repeated without much variation. Aim for accurate collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe the achievement as “a source of pride” and refer to “limited access to facilities.” This would make the vocabulary more controlled and flexible.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex structures, including a relative clause in “places … where living conditions are very adverse” and a conditional phrase beginning “In case of an emergency.” Most sentences remain understandable, and the errors do not prevent the reader from following your argument. Some grammatical problems persist, though. In “exploring such attractions give,” the subject requires a singular verb; “Antarctic being severely cold” needs a clearer clause structure; and “the challenges that this journey involve” has a subject–verb agreement error. The conclusion’s “while … but” construction is also faulty. Practise checking agreement and building complete clauses, while retaining your attempts at complex sentences.

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