Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-10-29

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)

In today's world, tourism has increased and continues to do so even to areas that experience extreme conditions, for example the Sahara desert and the Antarctic.

There are both positives and negatives to this for holiday makers whereby tourists are able to experience special places though it is financially costly.

Firstly, a benefit for the travellers who get to experience these places with extreme conditions is the uniqueness of it. Not many people can say they have visited such places as many would find the harsh weather conditions too challenging.

For many, the sahara desert would be too hot, dry and humid whilst the Antartics harsh cold conditions pose a seperate obstacle to visitors. Therefore, you are more likely to experience something uncommon which is a positive.

Another positive of this uniqueness is there is likely to be less tourists resulting in a more authentic experience and less crowds at the touristic hot spots.

Despite these positives. there are also negatives for those who visit places like these including the total cost associated with such experiences. As these areas are unique aforementioned and often hard to navigate, the price of visiting them is higher.

For example, it will be expensive to pay for flights and connections to and from these areas without considering external costs such as accomodation, food and activities. Additionally, the logistics of getting there and arranging activities, accomodation and other associated travel itinerary items is more difficult and may require paying for a travel agent. This is also a consequence of developing touristic areas in contrast to already developed areas.

To conclude, areas with tough conditions such as the Sahara desert and the Antarctic are becoming more popular for tourists and there are definitely advantages and disadvantages to this. Overall, I believe the benefits of such unusual experiences outweigh the cost and difficulties faced in visiting these places.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses both sides of the question and gives a clear overall view: unusual experiences are worthwhile despite the expense and practical difficulties. The benefits are relevant, especially the chance to visit uncommon environments and encounter fewer crowds; the disadvantages are supported with examples of transport, accommodation, food and activity costs. This meets the task well, and the conclusion reinforces the writer’s position. However, some points are less fully developed than others. The claim that fewer tourists create a more authentic experience is asserted rather than explained, and the disadvantages focus mainly on cost and logistics. Developing another consequence of harsh conditions—such as health or safety risks—would make the discussion more complete and better supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure, moving from an introduction to benefits, disadvantages and a conclusion. Paragraphing helps distinguish the two sides, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “Despite these positives” and “To conclude” make the progression easy to follow. The ideas within each main paragraph are generally connected, for example the discussion of remote locations leads into travel and accommodation costs. Some linking is mechanical or imprecise, however: “Therefore” does not clearly show how the preceding description proves the point, and “This is also a consequence…” has an unclear reference. The opening also previews the argument briefly without much development. More precise links between claims and explanations, and clearer referencing, would make the cohesion more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for discussing remote tourism, with relevant expressions such as “extreme conditions,” “harsh weather conditions,” “authentic experience” and “logistics.” The writer also attempts less common language, including “associated with” and “touristic hot spots,” though some choices are awkward or imprecise. For instance, “the uniqueness of it” is vague, “external costs” is not the clearest term for ordinary travel expenses, and “travel itinerary items” sounds unnatural in this context. There are also spelling errors in “Antartic,” “seperate” and “accomodation,” which reduce accuracy but do not prevent understanding. Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling carefully; precise terms for risks, remoteness and travel arrangements would add flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses in “As these areas are unique… the price of visiting them is higher” and a relative clause in “areas… that experience extreme conditions.” Most ideas remain clear, but some grammatical and punctuation errors persist. The sentence beginning “Despite these positives.” is incorrectly separated by a full stop, and “the Sahara desert would be too hot… whilst the Antartics harsh cold conditions…” lacks the possessive form needed before “harsh.” The opening sentence also has an awkward construction around “even to areas.” Review sentence boundaries, possessives and clause structure, while continuing to use varied sentence patterns. Greater control of these details would make the writing more consistently accurate.

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