Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
One of the major disadvantages of flying is no doubt the environmental factor, airplanes use a lot of fuel to even travel small distances, putting harmful gases all over the planet's environment. But due to this reason only can we stop traveling in altogether? The answer is no. They may emit a lot of poisonous gases in the environment, but there time saving outgrows the disadvantage. For example id I had to travel from NewYork to London, if I chose to travel on my car it would take me days to get there along with the poisonous emission from my car, and now lets take 300 people needed to travel from point A to B, firstly, it would take all of them a lot if time and a lot of fuel will be wasted in them getting at point B. SO, in my opinion it is far better to travel in the plane rather then individual traveling.
For individual businesses, time and cost saving is essential, which can be achieved by using planes rather their on transportation. For example I am a business owner and have to travel from Lahore, Pakistan to Oklahoma, USA, if I were to travel on my own vehicle it would take me days to reach Oklahoma, but thats not it I would need to cross multiple countries during my travel and will need to file for traveler pass for each country, which again can also add multiple days in my commute, but if I were traveling on a plane, firstly, it would only take a few hours to reach Oklahoma, and I only need to get visa for USA not any other country.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the environmental impact of flying versus the benefits for individuals and businesses. However, the development is somewhat limited. The argument relies heavily on a comparison between flying and driving a personal car, which is a somewhat narrow interpretation of the 'disadvantages' of flying. The position is clear, but the ideas could be more thoroughly extended to include broader environmental or social perspectives. The response remains focused on the topic throughout, but the depth of analysis is restricted by the repetitive nature of the examples provided.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into two main paragraphs, which is a basic structure. While there is a logical progression of ideas, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the use of 'SO' in capital letters and the transition 'but thats not it'. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved with more varied linking words. Paragraphing is present, but the transition between the environmental argument and the business argument is abrupt.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are some inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'outgrows the disadvantage' (should be 'outweighs') and 'traveler pass' (should be 'transit visa'). The student relies on basic terminology like 'harmful gases' and 'poisonous emission'. While the meaning is clear, the lexical range is limited, and there is little evidence of less common or idiomatic language usage.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Issues include punctuation errors (e.g., comma splices like '...to get there along with the poisonous emission from my car, and now lets take...'), subject-verb agreement, and incorrect word forms (e.g., 'individual traveling' instead of 'individual travel'). While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable and demonstrate a lack of control over more complex grammatical forms.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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