Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-07-27

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 6.5)

Flying from one place to another is quite a beautiful and convenient transport means in modern day. Many people have resorted to stop flying altogether or minimizing the number of flights every year. The environmental advantages to this development are lesser compared to the disadvantages for people of businessmen. This essay will discuss both advantages and disadvantages with relevant examples in the following paragraphs.

The foremost argument for the advantages of stopping or reducing flying are quite a lot. The petrol causes the air pollution which consequently increases the global warming issues of our planet. Complete cessation or minimization of the planes can be a great factor in the reduction of problems like air traffic and will not harm the birds who have to face a lot of dangerous situations while flying. This results in less noise and hence reduction in the noise pollution as well.

On the other hand, the disadvantages of not flying can be really difficult for people and businessmen. The facility to fly has helped people come close to other relatives living in faraway places. The students do not have to stay in one place but can move to any country they want to study after flying there but this will no longer be possible and can hinder their progress levels. The businessmen have a lot of companies and branches all over to different countries in the world and best way to manage them all is by being able to fly to the desired country in no time without any delay. However, the companies cannot be managed that way if number of flights are decreased and even stopped using and can limit the vastness of a company's business.

In conclusion, the advantages of stopping the flights can be beneficial for the environment but they do not outweigh the disadvantages and inconvenience it leads to the people and businessmen in their daily routines or work issues respectively.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position that the disadvantages outweigh the environmental benefits. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, the mention of 'birds' facing dangerous situations is a weak supporting point that lacks depth or relevance to the core environmental argument. The discussion on business impacts is better developed, but the essay would benefit from more specific examples or data to support the claims. The position is consistent throughout, but the arguments could be more sophisticated to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the other hand' and 'In conclusion', which help the flow. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'The foremost argument for the advantages... are quite a lot'. Referencing is generally clear, but the progression of ideas within paragraphs could be smoother. The use of linking words is sufficient to guide the reader, though it lacks the flexibility and natural flow required for a higher score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their meaning clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'cessation' and 'minimization', which are used correctly. However, there are also instances of imprecise word choice or awkward collocations, such as 'beautiful and convenient transport means' and 'progress levels'. The range is sufficient to discuss the topic, but it does not demonstrate the level of precision or sophisticated collocation expected at the higher band levels.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'The foremost argument... are quite a lot') and article usage. Some sentences are slightly clunky, such as 'the companies cannot be managed that way if number of flights are decreased and even stopped using'. These errors do not impede communication, but they are persistent enough to prevent a higher score. More attention to sentence structure and proofreading for basic errors would improve the accuracy.

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