Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-09

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)

In recent years, airplanes plays a crucial role in individuals life. A group of people believe that, decreasing the usage of planes, because of increasing air pollution. However, others argue that, airplanes are not highly damage the environment. I will through some lights on brighter side and it overshadows the darker side.

To begin with, there are enormous advantages of airplanes. First and foremost, is people could save their time in travelling, because their are numerous alternatives to migrate one place to another place. But these alternatives are time consuming. To cite an example, as per the survey of the Oxford university, before the invention of planes, people are travel in boats and international travelling get several months. However, there are few drawbacks of the airplanes. One of the most common issue is, when the plane engines are getting older. As a consequence, these old engines are emit more pollution. While, the higher authorities should make strict rules and regulations related to aircraft machineries so definitely overcome this issue.

Furthermore, another biggest positive outcome is, airplanes are not only use in travelling purpose, but also used commercially as well. There are numerous air transportation companies, which provide these types of services. For instance, people can share food packets and other utensils to their loved once who lived in other country within 2-3 days. In contrast, the airplanes are crashed during the bad weather conditions so it might be dangerous to the people who travel on daily basis. Meanwhile, the airport authorities should give proper training to the pilot. As a result, pilots could handle the airplane in bad situations. In addition, in the case of extreme bad weather condition, flights are rescheduled.

To conclude, there are many advantages outweigh their disadvantages. Airplanes make people's life more easier as well as faster. There are some negatives aspects, but there are some alternatives to fix the issues.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt, but the development of ideas is inconsistent. While you acknowledge both sides, the argument regarding environmental benefits is weak. You focus more on the utility of airplanes (speed, commercial use) rather than directly weighing the environmental impact against the benefits. The position is clear, but the supporting points are somewhat superficial and lack depth. For instance, the suggestion that 'strict rules' will solve engine pollution is a simplistic solution to a complex environmental issue. To improve, ensure you directly address the 'environmental benefits' versus 'disadvantages' trade-off more analytically rather than listing general pros and cons of air travel.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'I will through some lights on' is an incorrect idiom, and 'While, the higher authorities' is used incorrectly as a sentence starter. Transitions like 'To begin with' and 'Furthermore' are present, but the logical flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the transition from historical travel to engine maintenance feels abrupt. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words will help the ideas flow more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary range is adequate for the task but lacks precision and sophistication. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and incorrect collocations, such as 'individuals life', 'not highly damage', and 'share food packets... to their loved once'. The word 'once' is used instead of 'ones', and 'migrate' is used incorrectly in the context of travel. While you attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary, the errors are frequent enough to occasionally distract the reader. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensuring correct word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. Frequent errors in verb tense and subject-verb agreement are evident, such as 'airplanes plays', 'people are travel', and 'engines are emit'. Punctuation is also problematic, with unnecessary commas frequently interrupting the flow of sentences. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent grammatical errors prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. You should focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and avoiding the overuse of commas between subjects and verbs.

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