Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-07

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 4.5)

Education plays a major role in every student’s life. Some people think collaborative learning is more effective for students while others think sole learning is a more effective method. Let’s discuss these views before forming my opinion.

To commence with the first view, numerous reasons are associated with study in a group. Firstly, it helps students in communication and problem solving and solve cooperative tasks. It also helps in future. For example, students who are preparing projects, they perform better in experiments and complete their tasks in very little time.

However, there are many reasons behind the people who believe sole study is a better effective method. Firstly, self-study helps students to better concentrate and stay away from distractions. Although without being distracted, students can focus on their studies and away from unrelated discussion. Another reason is it can learn at their own pace. A survey conducted by educational experts in the year 2019 showed that individual learners often develop better problem-solving skills and perform better in their academics.

To conclude, I study in a group helps students to develop communication and teamwork skills, but I believe that independent learning is a more productive method.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 3.0

The response is completely off-topic. The prompt asks about the environmental benefits and disadvantages of reducing air travel, but the essay discusses the merits of collaborative versus independent learning. Furthermore, the response is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which severely limits the development of any relevant ideas. Because the essay fails to address the task prompt entirely, it cannot be assessed for task response in relation to the actual question asked. This results in a very low score for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. There is a basic attempt at using cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'However', and 'To conclude'. However, the logical progression is undermined by the fact that the content does not relate to the prompt. While the structure is present, the lack of relevance to the topic makes the overall coherence ineffective. The paragraphing is logical in its layout, but the ideas within the paragraphs do not support a central argument related to the task.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive. Phrases such as 'major role', 'better effective method', and 'perform better' are used throughout. There is little evidence of a wide range of vocabulary or the use of less common lexical items. While the language is generally understandable, it lacks the precision and variety required for higher band scores. The student relies on simple, functional language that does not demonstrate an ability to discuss complex topics with flexibility or sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'reasons behind the people who believe' and 'it can learn at their own pace', which is grammatically incorrect as 'it' does not refer to a person. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence construction is often clunky. While the meaning is usually clear, the frequency of errors and the limited range of grammatical structures prevent a higher score. The writing is functional but lacks the control needed for higher bands.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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