Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-04
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)
It is an undeniable fact that many people travel by plane which is an essential part of modern life. Some people believe that reducing the number of flight which could benefit the nature. I agree that reducing the number of air travel can help the environment at some extent but it does not outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses.
To begin with, there several types of environmental problems and air pollution is one of them. The main cause for the bad quality of air is transportation through road, ocean and air. Travelling by air produces great amount of carbon emission in comparison to travel from road and ocean. Lowering the number of flights can help to reduce carbon emission and greenhouse gases. As a result, people will get the better air quality and minimize the risk of harmful health problems. Moreover, it will encourage to produce investments in sustainable aviation fuel. In addition, promotes the development of more emission free aircrafts.
It is an irrefutable fact that travelling by air is affecting the environment and reducing the flights is beneficial for nature but have very negative effect on an individual and country. Firstly, travel industries is one of the main factor for boosting the economies of the country and lowering the air travel can affect economic development. As a result, business productivity will decrease .Secondly, airlines employees suffer from financial loss because of limited flights. moreover, family members will meet their loved ones less frequently. Students will have less study and job opportunities in abroad.
To conclude, i thinks people travel for necessary things to reduce pollution. Air travel is essential for business, tourism, education, and family connection.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention economic impacts and personal connections, the arguments remain at a surface level. For instance, the point about 'business productivity' and 'airline employees' is mentioned but not fully explained or supported with specific examples. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points by providing more detailed reasoning or illustrative examples. Your position is clear, but the conclusion is slightly abrupt and does not fully synthesize the arguments presented in the body paragraphs.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', and 'In addition'. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'In addition, promotes the development of more emission free aircrafts', where the subject is missing. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear; for example, in the third paragraph, the phrase 'travel industries is one of the main factor' lacks proper subject-verb agreement and clear connection to the previous sentence. Improving the variety and accuracy of your linking words will help the flow of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'carbon emission', 'sustainable aviation fuel', and 'economic development'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'help the environment at some extent' (should be 'to some extent') and 'less study and job opportunities in abroad' (should be 'abroad'). Some phrasing is repetitive, and there is a lack of more sophisticated or 'less common' lexical items that would elevate the essay to a higher band. Focusing on collocations and more precise academic vocabulary will improve your score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader's flow. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('there several types', 'travel industries is one of the main factor'), missing articles ('the number of flight'), and awkward phrasing ('encourage to produce investments'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are errors in capitalization and spacing after commas. To improve, you need to focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy, particularly with pluralization, articles, and verb forms, while also attempting more varied complex sentence structures with greater precision.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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