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)

In contemporary times, air traffic is a viable source of pollution. Certain individuals are focusing on reducing their flight-time or avoiding it entirely. I believe that this decision will have a positive impact on the environment by reducing carbon emission, pollution, and it will clearly outweigh the disadvantages.

Focusing on the environmental benefits, aircrafts emit a vast amount of carbon dioxide onto the environment. By reducing the usage less flights will be operated and the environment will face less damage. In addition, since an airline company generates a vast amount of plastic waste, processing plants, such as- recycling plants and waste disposal plants will have to burn for longer hours. Consequently, the generated black smoke, along with harmful particals will pollute the nature. Therefore, if people fly less, the environment will start to improve and the pollution rate will decline.

Turning towards the disadvantages, the airline companies will face financial challenges, as most of the flight will have to run on low passangers. Their profit rate for instance, will decrease severly, due to having reduces flight operation. Moreover, a lot of pilots and flight attendant will lose their jobs, as therby effecting a large sum of households. For example, during pandemic a majority of airline companies fired their employees, as all flights were grounded.

To conclude, although there are notable drawbacks of not choosing flying in terms of travel, the environmental impacts are more crucial for human life. Therefore, I believe that the natural advantages surely outweigh the disadvantages in this case.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you believe the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages, and you discuss both environmental effects and consequences for airlines and workers. The points about reduced aircraft emissions and possible job losses are relevant, and the pandemic example helps illustrate the employment concern. However, some ideas are not fully explained or are unclear. For instance, the claim that less flying would mean waste-processing plants “will have to burn for longer hours” does not clearly show how reduced air travel causes this outcome. The disadvantages are also focused mainly on airline finances and jobs, with little discussion of effects on individual travellers or other businesses. Develop these links and support the comparison more directly to address all parts more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on environmental benefits, one on disadvantages, and a conclusion. Signposting such as “Focusing on the environmental benefits” and “Turning towards the disadvantages” makes the direction easy to follow, while “To conclude” signals the final position. However, the progression within the environmental paragraph is not always clear: the move from fewer flights to airline plastic waste and longer operating hours for processing plants needs a more explicit connection. Some linking phrases, including “Therefore” and “Consequently,” make the writing feel somewhat formulaic rather than showing precise relationships between ideas. Use clearer references and explain how each example supports the main point, especially when shifting from emissions to waste.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “carbon dioxide,” “pollution,” “financial challenges,” and “grounded,” which helps communicate the main ideas. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “environmental impacts” and “profit rate.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “flight-time,” “onto the environment,” “low passengers,” and “profit rate.” Spelling errors such as “particals,” “passangers,” and “severly” are noticeable and reduce precision. Aim for accurate, natural combinations rather than formal-sounding phrases: for example, refer to “fewer flights,” “emissions into the atmosphere,” and “lower passenger numbers.” Proofreading would also help correct spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “if people fly less, the environment will start to improve” and a concession in the conclusion. The main message is generally understandable, but errors in agreement, articles, plurals, and sentence construction occur across the response. Examples include “aircrafts emit” and “most of the flight will have to run,” where number agreement is problematic, and “a lot of pilots and flight attendant will lose their jobs,” where the plural form is needed. The sentence beginning “Their profit rate for instance” is also awkwardly punctuated and structured. Work on checking subject–verb agreement and noun number, and practise building complex sentences with clear clauses and punctuation.

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