Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-08

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people have decided to reduce the number of times they fly every year or to stop flying altogether.

Do you think the environmental benefits of this development outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses?

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

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Nowadays, people are using airplane transport a lot beacuse of international travel duties and the jobs they get overseas. But some people are trying not to travel by plane all the time to save money or to give some environmental benefits to the world. I strongly disgree with the statement and in the coming paragraphs I will give the disadvantages that it will cause.

People don't always think twice before doing something, same goes for those that think if they don't fly every year or stop flying they will give benefits to the individuals or the buisnesses. Not flying at all will not be beneficial for any person or business. Rather, it will be a huge disadvantage to the whole business community of the airport. The decision of not flying at all also mean they will not meet their family much and as a result it will disturb their whole health being away from family.

One of the disadvantage is that flying industry is one of the biggest business in the world and covers a huge amount of a country's economy. By not flying or reducing the number of flights that they normally take will cause a negative impact to the buisness. Also the individual that are doing the jons on airport or the airhostress will observe some reduction in the salary as they overall income of the business will be reduced.

In conclusion, although reducing air travel could help protect the environment, I believe it may also negatively affect the economy and employment opportunities. Therefore, a balanced approach should be adopted to minimise environmental damage without harming the aviation industry.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you disagree that reducing flights brings greater benefits, and you identify possible effects on aviation businesses, workers, and family contact. These points are relevant to the question. However, the response only partly addresses the comparison the task asks you to make. The environmental benefit is acknowledged briefly in the introduction and conclusion, but not explained or weighed against the disadvantages. The business and employment points are also asserted rather than supported with a specific example or fuller explanation. To strengthen the response, discuss both sides in the main body and explain why the disadvantages outweigh—or do not outweigh—the environmental gains, using concrete support.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The ideas generally follow a sensible order, and linking phrases such as “Rather,” “Also,” and “In conclusion” help signal relationships. However, progression is limited because the two body paragraphs repeat the claim that reduced flying harms businesses, without developing distinct aspects of the argument. Some connections are also unclear: the sentence about not meeting family shifts from business effects to personal wellbeing without a clear transition. Organise the body around separate points, such as employment and personal travel, and use clearer references and transitions to show how each point supports your overall judgement.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “environmental benefits,” “business community,” “economy,” and “employment opportunities.” However, the range is limited and several choices are inaccurate or repetitive, which makes parts of the argument less natural. For example, “airplane transport” and “jobs they get overseas” are imprecise in context, while “health being away from family” does not express the intended idea clearly. There are also noticeable spelling errors, including “beacuse,” “disgree,” “buisnesses,” and “jons.” Build a more precise range of collocations for aviation, emissions, and economic effects, and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “if they don't fly every year or stop flying” and a result clause beginning “as a result.” Meaning is generally understandable, but some errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction remain. For instance, “The decision … also mean” should use a singular verb, and “One of the disadvantage is” needs a plural noun after “one of the.” The sentence beginning “By not flying…” is also an incomplete construction as written, and “as they overall income” has an incorrect possessive form. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and ensure each sentence has a complete main clause; vary complex structures while keeping them accurate.

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