Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-06
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 5.0)
It is true that some people assert that number of flies taken every year must be reduced. In my opinion, the disadvantage of this trend outweighs the advantages. In this essay, I will discuss both sides and support my view. On one hand, some people argued that number of flights take every year must be decreased to lower the air pollution. By reducing flights, noise pollution also reduced near the airports along with air pollution. The air pollution is the cause of thousands of diseases like asthma, heart diseases, stroke and lung cancer. Carbon emission and greenhouse gases reduced significantly. On the other hand, I believed the drawbacks are much greater. While, reducing airplane flights result in reducing air pollution but there many other factors to be focused. The international trades and global partnerships done through air will substantially be affected. There will be a huge loss in tourism industry. People from all over the world frequently travel to other countries. Many countries economy runs majorly on tourism. Another industry which is directly impacted negatively is aviation industry. In conclusion, while there are many upsides like air pollution will be reduced and air become clearer. There are many downsides. For instance, loss in aviation and tourism industry. The global trade conducted through air will negatively be impacted. Countries rely on tourism will face huge losses or may be there economy will crash
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both environmental benefits and economic disadvantages. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of development. While the position is clear, the arguments are somewhat repetitive and lack specific examples or detailed evidence. For instance, the mention of 'international trades' and 'tourism' is relevant but remains superficial. To reach a higher band, you need to expand on your points with concrete illustrations or data to fully develop your ideas. Because the response is under-length, it fails to meet the requirements of the task fully, which impacts the overall score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'On one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, the flow is sometimes mechanical, and the transition between ideas is basic. Some sentences are disjointed, and the referencing is occasionally unclear. For example, the sentence 'While, reducing airplane flights result in reducing air pollution but there many other factors to be focused' is grammatically awkward and lacks smooth connectivity. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus would enhance the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You rely on repetitive phrasing, such as 'air pollution' and 'industry', which limits the sophistication of your writing. There are also some word-choice errors, such as 'number of flies' (which should be 'flights') and 'there economy' (which should be 'their economy'). To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific collocations and synonyms to avoid repetition and demonstrate a more flexible command of the English language.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'noise pollution also reduced' instead of 'is also reduced'), incorrect verb tenses, and missing articles. Additionally, there are punctuation errors, such as the unnecessary comma after 'While'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage would significantly improve your accuracy.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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