IELTS Writing Task 2 essay with model answer

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic

International tourism has brought enormous benefit to many places. At the same time, there is concern about its impact on local inhabitants and the environment.

Do the disadvantages of international tourism outweigh the advantages?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Write at least 250 words.

Model Answer:

Travel industry has experienced a major boom in the later part of the 20th century and has been a blessing in disguise, which has helped some weaker nations to uplift their failing economies. While questions have been raised regarding the negative impacts that accompany the growth in the travel sector, these definitely do not outweigh the associated benefits.

Submit Task For Review ($15)

The economic boost that accompanies a successful travel industry is quite well recognised and Thailand is the best example. The entire Thai economy revolves around tourism and the country had been able to uplift its socio economic status through its flourishing hospitality sector.  Egypt is another nation that is heavily dependent on its hospitality sector. The growth in the number of incoming tourists leads to innumerable prospects in terms of local entrepreneurship & employment generation. This is also associated with international investments and infrastructure development. The national authorities, in order to ensure safety of the international visitors provide better law and order enforcement, improved transportation and healthcare facilities, which in turn benefit the local population.

On the other hand, the rising influx of holidaymakers is associated with increased incidences of crimes, prostitution and antisocial activities like drugs, human trafficking and gambling, which affect the values of the indigenous society. The local population are also affected by the growth in property value indices. Environmentalists are also concerned regarding environmental remodelling, that is associated with increased tourist activities in natural reserves. In this context, it is worth mentioning that, by enforcing stern law and order and implementing strict legislations, governments can control most of these negative impacts of tourism.

Henceforth, it can be confidently conveyed that, even though the growth in travel industry has accompanying negative social impacts, these do not outweigh the contributions made by this sector towards social development.

Total Words: 296

Task Achievement: 9

Coherence & Cohesion: 9

Lexical resources: 9

Grammar: 9

Overall Score: Band 9

For unlimited feedback with speaking and writing tasks sign up for IELTS Twenty20 Online Course today!

Study 20 minutes a day for 20 days and Ace the IELTS exam.

Model Answer (Band 8):

There is no doubt that international tourists have brought a lot of positive impact to many countries. However, these benefits also come with many negative issues. Personally, I feel that international tourism has resulted more advantages than disadvantages to the affected nations in general. In this essay, I will examine both the benefits and their related cost and support my opinion accordingly.

First of all, many people argue that many local inhabitants have been sacrificed in order to make way for the development of tourist attractions. For examples, tress were cut down so that hotels can be constructed; old heritage sites were demolished and replaced by new shopping malls; local residence, especially the aboriginals, have to be relocated so that their land can be used for new airport. However, people tend to ignore the economics and social benefits brought upon by these developments. For example, the number of jobs created by the constructions of hotels and shopping malls could stimulate the economic growth of a nation and benefit the both the people and the nation as a whole.   

Secondly, many people also claimed that the influx of foreign tourists will increase the social problems such as crime rates immoral activities.  For examples, they claimed that tourists usually like to visit pubs and clubs in the evening and that will lead to higher rate of alcohol related problems such as noise pollution, vandalism and prostitution. However, I believe that the millions of foreign dollars brought in by these tourists could actually decrease the problems if the  money are put into proper used by the government. For example, the tax collected from the entertainment outlet could be used to help combat crime and actually make the country a safer place.

In conclusion, I believe that if we look at the overall picture of international tourism when doing the cost-benefit analysis, we will see that they are more advantages than disadvantages.  

Total Words: 318

Task Achievement: 8

Coherence & Cohesion: 8

Lexical resources: 8

Grammar: 8

Overall Score: Band 8

For unlimited feedback with detailed corrections for speaking and writing tasks, sign up for IELTS Twenty20 Online Course today!

Study 20 minutes a day for 20 days and Ace the IELTS exam.