Tourism today creates a variety of problems, such as pollution due to flights, traffic congestion and water pollution. Some people think that governments should impose extra taxes on flights and accommodation to restrict today’s tourism industry. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this proposal?
Sample Response
Tourism, no doubt, is important for many countries for several reasons, including its economic, social and cultural benefits. At the same timeBut, at the same time, we can not deny that tourism, if left unregulated, creates problems. This is why I agree that governments should intervene to mitigate some of these issues by imposing extra taxes on flights and accommodation.
To begin with, tourism, one of the ten10th largest industries in the world, is important for many countries. However, it becomes concerningBut, it becomes worrisome when it puts undue pressuresome undue pressure on natural resources through over-consumption, especially in placesespecially, in places where resources, infrastructure and facilities are already scarce. To reduce the overconsumption of resources, government initiativesthe government's initiatives to impose extra taxes could be effectivecould work like magic. Here we can specifically mention small island countries such asthe small island countries, like Cyprus and Malta, which struggle to accommodate a large number of tourists. Hefty taxes seemseems like their only solution.
Not to mention, of course, the air and water pollution, among other negative effects, that are caused by the massive tourist transportation activities, both in air and sea, could also be controlled by imposing a travel tax. With more than a billion people travelling each year, governments need regulationsthe government needs regulations to regulate this activitykeep the activity in check to minimise its negative effects. One way to effectively do that is to impose extra charges and taxes on accommodationaccommodations and travel. Some European countries have already implemented policies to protect their tourist destinations, in unobtrusive waysin quiet, non-offensive ways, by controlling the number of hotel beds, the number of flights to and from a country, and the number of tour buses allowed. No doubt, these are useful measuressome good steps to control the flow of tourists, but they would yield even better results if these initiatives wereare supported by a tax increase on things like flights and hotel accommodation.
To conclude, tourism is important but too many tourists and their uncontrolled movement can have negative consequences. So the government should levy taxes on their accommodation and travel to keep a check on the number of tourists, and this can be a great step towards saving the tourist's destinations and the world.
Why this response received Band 7.0
The response presents a clear, consistent endorsement of tourism taxes and supports it with relevant examples of resource pressure, pollution, and visitor controls. Its main limitation is that the deterrent mechanism and possible economic trade-offs are often asserted rather than examined, while some grammatical slips reduce polish. Prioritise explaining how tax levels would change behaviour and addressing the risk of harming tourism-dependent economies.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The position is clear and relevant arguments are developed, but the claim that taxes will solve the problems is not examined critically enough.
Explain how taxes would reduce demand and consider whether they could unfairly affect travellers or tourism-dependent communities.
Coherence and Cohesion
The argument follows a clear paragraph sequence and generally effective progression, though some sentences carry too many loosely connected details.
Divide the long pollution paragraph into a clearer cause-and-solution sequence and remove repetitive references to taxes.
Lexical Resource
A sufficient range of tourism and environmental vocabulary is used effectively, despite occasional informal or imprecise expressions.
Replace phrases such as "work like magic," "quiet, non-offensive ways," and "saving ... the world" with measured academic wording.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
Complex structures are attempted successfully overall, but recurring agreement, article, possessive, and clause-attachment errors reduce accuracy.
Check subject-verb agreement, plural reference, apostrophes, and the structure of long sentences before finalising the response.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Tourism today creates a variety of problems, such as pollution due to flights, traffic congestion and water pollution. Some people think that governments should impose extra taxes on flights and accommodation to restrict today’s tourism industry. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this proposal?
Your response
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