Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-21

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)

In this contemporary era, a significant proportion of people are exploring places that are more adventerous because they want to do something out of their comfort zone.Visiting these places provides a hands-on experience to face challenging situations and using coping techniques for their survival. However, these tours sometime causes severe accidents and even death if they are not carried out under proper precautionary measures.

One of the major advantages is that exploring places such as Sahara desert where surviving conditions are cruel and one have to take strong and quick actions under emergency situations helps to boost confidence and foster sense of independence as they have to face the difficult situations alone. These includes facing food and waer scarcity, lack of shelter and dealing with any harmful creature. These tours on one side helps to reveal new challenges and on the other sides provide pleasure and relaxation after achieving desired target.To illustrate, when travelers reach their destination after days of treking and endless efforts provides them huge relief and strength to continue such journeys.

In contrast to it, there are some disadvantages of these thrilling tours which mainly includes severe injuries and in most of the cases are incurable. The travellors usually face intense weather conditions in Sahar or Antarctic and due to lack of sufficient water they suffer from intense dehydration and even kidney failure. These tours may cost a person life o they are not secure even if they are carried out with proper precautionary measures. For example, a water tank which most of the people carry with is insufficient for long duration so it is advised to plan these with experts.

Though travelling provides greater relaxation and helps people to face challenges. Adventure tours are not suitable for everyone as they require special equipments and strict supervision o one should think twice before g

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses both sides of the question and gives a relevant overall view: challenging travel can build confidence and independence, while harsh conditions can cause serious illness or death. The examples of water scarcity, dehydration and reaching a destination after a difficult trek help make the discussion relevant. However, the benefits are developed more clearly than some disadvantages, and several points remain general. For instance, the claim that these trips provide “pleasure and relaxation” is not explained in much detail, while the advice to plan with experts is introduced without showing how this reduces the risks. Develop each main point with a clear explanation or a specific example, and make the concluding recommendation more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on benefits, one on disadvantages, and a concluding comment. The contrast marker “In contrast” helps signal the shift between the two sides, and the ideas generally follow a sensible order. However, some linking is mechanical or unclear, as in “on one side … on the other sides,” and the long sentence beginning “To illustrate” is difficult to follow because its subject and main point are not clearly connected. The final paragraph also ends abruptly, weakening the sense of closure. Use transitions more naturally, make the relationship between examples and claims explicit, and ensure the conclusion forms a complete final statement.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “comfort zone,” “coping techniques,” “dehydration,” “kidney failure,” and “precautionary measures.” These choices help communicate the risks and potential personal benefits of difficult travel. However, inaccurate spelling and word choice are noticeable, including “adventerous,” “waer,” “travellors,” and “Sahar.” Some expressions are also awkward or imprecise, such as “surviving conditions are cruel,” “harmful creature,” and “continue such journeys.” Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling carefully; precise phrasing will make the argument sound clearer and more controlled without relying on repeated general terms such as “tours” and “situations.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

There is an attempt to use both simple and complex structures, including clauses with “because,” “as,” and “when,” and the main ideas are usually understandable. However, some errors in agreement, sentence construction and punctuation reduce accuracy. For example, “these tours sometime causes” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “one have to take” and “These includes” also mismatch subject and verb. The sentence beginning “To illustrate, when travelers reach their destination…” lacks a clear main clause, and the final sentence is incomplete. Review agreement and ensure every sentence has a complete clause; breaking long sentences into shorter, well-formed units would improve control while retaining complex structures.

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