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:

International tourism has a number of direct and indirect impacts on local communities and the environment, and it is important to ask whether the negative effects overwhelm the positive ones. In my opinion, even though the economy, as well as the locals themselves, may profit from a number of advantages that derive from international tourism, the negative impacts outweigh the positive ones. In particular, it is noteworthy that the negative effects tend to be more long-lasting than the positive ones.

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It is certainly true that international tourism injects money into local economies, which can be an important dollar source for poor countries. Furthermore, the tourism industry creates jobs, for instance in hotels and restaurants, thus further boosting the local economy. However, the employment and money are directly linked to the number of tourists that arrive, making this income source very vulnerable to disruptions of the influx of visitors such as may arise from local disasters including hurricanes and floods. Therefore, the economic benefit suffers from a lack of long-term stability and can be considered instantaneous, without security regarding the future.

The negative impacts of excessive tourism, on the other hand, often have long-term effects that include not only the disfiguration of coastal beaches with hotel towers but also the potential destruction of the environment due to effluents and waste from hotel complexes. For example, expansive buffets leave a lot of food to waste, and the sewage from hotels may end up in the ocean, causing eutrophication of the coastal zone. These effects of international tourism are long-lasting, negatively affecting local communities long after the tourists have disappeared.

To sum up, while communities may gain some short-term advantages from international tourism, particularly pertaining to the local economy, the disadvantages, which include the destruction of the natural environment, outweigh the benefits as they are not only severe but also long-lasting.

Total Words: 320

Task Achievement: 9

Coherence & Cohesion: 9

Lexical resources: 9

Grammar: 9

Overall Score: Band 9

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