Today more and more tourists are visiting places where conditions are difficult, such as the Sahara desert or the Antarctic. What are the advantages and disadvantages for tourists who visit such places?
Sample Response
Tourism has expanded its horizon, and today, adventurous tourists are increasingly seeking places where the conditions are challenging, such as arctic regions, tropical rainforests, or high-altitude mountainous regions. The benefits and disadvantages for such tourists are numerous and complex.
The main benefit for tourists visiting such difficult places is the unique experience they offer. It is an opportunity for them to explore the extreme wilderness, observe rare wildlife, and challenge themselves physically and mentally. For example, tourists who visit the arctic regions, such as Greenland or the North Pole, have the opportunity to witness the majestic aurora borealis and explore icebergs, glaciers and frozen landscapes. Similarly, tourists who venture into the dense tropical rainforests, such as the Amazon, can experience a rich diversity of flora and fauna, and learn about indigenous cultures. Such experiences can be life-changing and unforgettable.
There are also numerous disadvantages to visiting such places. The harsh climate, rough terrain, and lack of basic amenities can pose serious risks to tourists. For example, tourists visiting high-altitude mountainous regions, such as the Himalayas, can face the risk of altitude sickness, frostbite, or hypothermia. In addition, the lack of proper infrastructure, medical facilities, and communication networks can leave tourists vulnerable in case of emergencies.
In conclusion, visiting challenging places can provide unique and unforgettable experiences, but it can also be risky and have negative impacts. It is important for tourists to be well-prepared and informed before visiting such places, and for governments to regulate and manage tourism activities in these regions to ensure the safety of tourists and the sustainability of the environment and local communities.
IELTS Writing Correction
- 1. Correct the collocation Original: expanded its horizon Suggested revision: broadened its horizons Why it matters: Broadened its horizons is the standard expression for expanding scope.
- 2. Capitalize geographic region Original: arctic regions, tropical rainforests Suggested revision: Arctic regions, tropical rainforests Why it matters: Arctic is capitalized when it names the geographic region.
- 3. Capitalize Arctic Original: tourists who visit the arctic regions Suggested revision: tourists who visit Arctic regions Why it matters: Arctic is capitalized when referring to the geographic region.
- 4. Remove unnecessary comma Original: today, adventurous tourists Suggested revision: today adventurous tourists Why it matters: The short adverb today does not need to be separated from the subject here.
- 5. Use concise phrasing Original: places where the conditions are challenging Suggested revision: places with challenging conditions Why it matters: The prepositional phrase conveys the same idea more directly.
- 6. Use parallel task terms Original: The benefits and disadvantages Suggested revision: The advantages and disadvantages Why it matters: Advantages pairs more directly with disadvantages and matches the distinction developed later.
- 7. Clarify the difficulty Original: such difficult places Suggested revision: places with such difficult conditions Why it matters: The revision makes clear that the conditions, rather than the places themselves, are difficult.
- 8. Clarify the reference Original: It is an opportunity for them Suggested revision: This gives tourists an opportunity Why it matters: This wording gives the sentence a clear subject and avoids an imprecise pronoun.
- 9. Use precise noun phrase Original: the extreme wilderness Suggested revision: extreme wilderness areas Why it matters: Areas makes the reference to the types of destinations more concrete.
- 10. Avoid repeated phrasing Original: have the opportunity to witness Suggested revision: can witness Why it matters: The concise modal avoids repeating opportunity from the previous sentence.
- 11. Reduce idea repetition Suggested revision: Condense the repeated opportunity and experience wording before the examples so that each sentence advances the explanation. Why it matters: The opening sentences restate the same benefit before the paragraph reaches its evidence.
- 12. Parallelize the examples Suggested revision: Present the Arctic and rainforest examples in a parallel sequence of setting, activity and resulting experience. Why it matters: Matching the structure of the two examples would make their comparison easier to follow.
Suggested Rewrites
- expanded its horizon broadened its horizons
- arctic regions, tropical rainforests Arctic regions, tropical rainforests
- tourists who visit the arctic regions tourists who visit Arctic regions
- today, adventurous tourists today adventurous tourists
- places where the conditions are challenging places with challenging conditions
- The benefits and disadvantages The advantages and disadvantages
Why this response received Band 8.0
This is a focused and well-balanced response that explains both the memorable experiences and the personal risks of difficult destinations through specific, relevant examples. The progression is clear and the language is flexible and largely error-free, although the final reference to environmental and community sustainability is not developed in the body. A brief explanation of that final idea would make the conclusion feel fully grounded.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Detailed feedback by IELTS writing criterion after the annotated essay.
Task Response
Both advantages and disadvantages for tourists are directly addressed, well extended, and supported with apt examples.
Either develop the environmental and community impacts before the conclusion or keep the conclusion centred on tourists' experiences and safety.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas are logically sequenced in well-focused paragraphs, with cohesive devices used clearly and unobtrusively.
Strengthen the final synthesis by linking every concluding recommendation explicitly to an idea developed in the body.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is wide, precise, and natural across descriptions of landscapes, experiences, risks, and infrastructure.
Refine the opening collocation by using 'broadened its horizons' or a similarly idiomatic expression.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex sentence forms is used accurately, with only rare minor lapses that do not affect clarity.
Maintain this control while tightening occasional long lists so that parallel structures remain consistently balanced.