International tourism has brought enormous benefits 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?
Sample Response
People have varying views about the effects of international tourism on the economy and the environmentthe economy and environment. While I accept that international tourism has some benefits for individuals and economiespositive impacts on our lives and economy, I believe that it has more negative than positive impactsmore negative impacts compared to positive ones.
On the one hand, internationalInternational tourism has some advantages. Firstly, tourism is a popular leisure activity for millions of people all over the world. Tourists can relax and have fun while sightseeing in new placesby sightseeing in a new place. This activity broadens their horizons and opens their minds by exposing them to different cultures and customs. Secondly, from an economic perspective, the tourism industry plays a vital role in many countries. People may rely on tourism for their income. Also, the tourism industry creates many jobs in service sectors such asjob opportunities in services like hotels and restaurants. As a result, international tourism improves the standard of living in some local areas.
On the other hand, from an environmental perspective, tourism may harm the environment in three waysaffect the environment negatively in three ways. Firstly, the excessive construction required bythe excessive building needed by the tourism industry could destroy natural habitats and may even resultand even may result in the extinction of many animals and plants. Secondly, international tourism causes increasedmore pollution and waste. Finally, the tourism industry puts more pressure on natural resources like oil and water and this may lead to shortages of basic resourceslead to the shortage of some basic human needs. From a cultural perspective, tourism may affect local cultures negatively. Traditional jobs and skills like farming and fishing may die out because tourism forces people to work in their services. So, this may lead to the loss of many cultural features and values. Therefore, I believe that international tourism has more negative impacts on the environment and local cultures.
In conclusion, it seems to me that the potential dangers of international tourism toon the environment and culture are more significant than the possible benefits in personal and economic sectors. Governments should impose laws to protect the environment and local cultures.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The essay maintains a clear judgment throughout and develops both economic benefits and environmental or cultural costs in a logical, easy-to-follow comparison. Its main limitation is that several claims remain general or asserted rather than illustrated, particularly pollution, resource shortages and the decline of traditional work. Prioritise one concrete, fully explained example that demonstrates why the negative effects outweigh the gains.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The response answers the comparison directly, sustains a clear position, and develops relevant benefits and drawbacks, though some negative claims lack detailed support.
Use one specific destination or scenario to show how environmental and cultural damage can exceed employment and income benefits.
Coherence and Cohesion
The introduction, opposing sides, and conclusion form a clear progression, although the repeated numbered signposting is slightly formulaic.
Use more meaning-based transitions between related environmental effects instead of relying repeatedly on “firstly,” “secondly,” and “finally.”
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary range is sufficient for economic, environmental, and cultural discussion, but repetition and several awkward collocations reduce precision.
Replace repeated phrases such as “affect negatively” with precise verbs including damages, depletes, displaces, and erodes.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A variety of complex structures conveys the argument clearly, but recurring article, word-order, agreement, and clause-control errors remain noticeable.
Revise constructions such as “may even result,” “shortages of basic resources,” and “work in tourism services” for more natural control.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
International tourism has brought enormous benefits 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?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.