Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-14

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 6.0)

Some individuals believe that taking less flights or completely stop taking them will benefit the environment, producing fewer emissions; Others think it would be damaging both for people and companies. I personally believe that none of the two statements is better or worse than the other: they both have advantages and disadvantages.

First of all, reducing the number of flights booked will certainly decrease the quantity of emissions produced by airplanes, such as carbone dioxide, which is extremely harmful for the environment. Thanks to that, the overall level of pollution will drop consistently, but only if an enourmous number of people stop using aircrafts. For instance, if just a nearly unnoticeable group of people decide not to use the airplanes anymore, the environmental situation would remain unchanged. However, if the decision is made by the whole society, the outcome will be beneficial from this point of view.

On the other hand, if the whole population or a significant number of people stop booking flights, it would be damaging for individuals and businesses. For individuals, travelling would be almost impossible, since the majority of them use aircrafts to move from a country to another. For businesses, their revenues will rapidly drop and will lead them to failure. For example, Ryanair, a cheap airline based on offering tickets at a fair price for trips around Europe. If fewer people use their services, the company will suffer, since its profit will be extremely reduced.

To conclude, if the whole society or a significant number of people decide not to fly anymore, it would be positive for the environment. However, in order to be beneficial, the quantity of people who behave like this should be noticeable, and from another point of view, it will harm individuals and businesses, since they will not be able to travel as they were used to do before and businesses will face a drop in their revenues.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both sides of the question and give a clear overall view: reducing flights can help the environment, while widespread reductions would harm travellers and businesses. The examples about emissions and Ryanair are relevant. However, the position does not directly answer whether the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages: saying that neither side is better or worse leaves the central comparison unresolved. Several points are also asserted rather than developed. For instance, you say travel would be “almost impossible” and that airlines could fail, but do not consider alternatives such as rail travel or explain how serious these effects would be. Make a direct judgement and compare the scale of the environmental gains with the practical and economic costs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for environmental benefits and disadvantages, and a conclusion. The progression from one side of the issue to the other is easy to follow, and signposts such as “First of all” and “On the other hand” help guide the reader. This meets the lower-band expectations securely and shows some features of stronger organisation. To make the progression more effective, ensure that each paragraph develops a connected line of reasoning rather than repeating the same condition. The idea that a “significant number” must stop flying appears in both main paragraphs and the conclusion. Also, the conclusion summarises the points but does not resolve the comparison posed by the question, weakening the essay’s overall direction.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “emissions,” “pollution,” “revenues,” and “profit,” and the meaning is generally clear. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “the overall level of pollution” and “a significant number of people.” However, some word choices, collocations, and spelling errors reduce precision: “carbone dioxide,” “enourmous,” “aircrafts,” and “the quantity of emissions” are not accurate or natural in context. “Stop taking flights” is also less idiomatic than “stop flying.” Aim to use precise, conventional environmental and economic terms, and check spelling and countability. This would make the vocabulary more controlled and help you express the comparison more precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional structures such as “if just a nearly unnoticeable group of people decide…” and a contrastive clause beginning “However.” Most sentences remain understandable, and errors rarely prevent the reader from following your argument. Some grammatical inaccuracies persist, though. In the opening, “taking less flights or completely stop taking them” does not maintain a parallel verb form; “fewer flights or stopping altogether” would be more accurate. In “For example, Ryanair, a cheap airline…,” the sentence is incomplete, and “will lead them to failure” has an unclear reference. Review parallel structures, complete sentence formation, and consistent conditional forms to improve accuracy while retaining your range.

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