Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-11
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 widely believed that increasing number of individual choose less travel by air altogether and it has both advantages and disadvantages. travel by air may create certain difficulty for the individuals and businesses while there are some negative aspects, I am convinced that environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages.
One of the primary reason is that it reducing air pollution. This is because, aviation can source of carbon emissions and avoid to travel by air that is reduce polluted air in atmosphere and it may causes of global warming and climate changes. If fewer people travel by flight, it will decreased demand of flight. Hence, It is beneficial for environment because greenhouse gases can not effected in atmosphere.
Furthermore, if people avoid travel by transportation, it will increased train travel. For instance, individual use more sustainable source like trains and burses and due to this Railway service become more and more augmentable. Also reduce traffic in air because people do not travel through flight so that it is alleviate price of flight ticket.
However, there are some negative aspects it is create problem for individuals and businesses because people who work for international companies they may have trubble to trave between a countries and face complications. In addition international companies may rely on air travel for meetings and maintain the relationship with overseas clients. Such as, a particular organization who connect with different companies may they face problem so for that type industry they must travel by air.
In conclusion, although travel by air have many benefits but it is effect on environment. I firmly believe that the environmental benefits outweigh disadvantages. However, reducing air traffic is possible through using different type of idea like for meeting if people use confrence call.
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 and maintains a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention environmental benefits and the impact on businesses, the arguments are repetitive and lack depth. For example, the explanation of why air travel causes pollution is quite basic, and the discussion regarding businesses could be more nuanced. To improve, ensure that each paragraph provides a more detailed explanation or a more specific, illustrative example to support your claims. The conclusion is a bit abrupt and repeats the prompt rather than synthesizing the main points effectively.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'In addition', and 'In conclusion'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly inaccurate, such as 'Such as, a particular organization...'. Additionally, there are issues with referencing and flow; for instance, the transition between the environmental benefits and the business disadvantages is a bit abrupt. Improving the variety and precision of your linking words will help the ideas flow more naturally and improve the overall coherence of the essay.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'augmentable' to describe railway services, 'effected' instead of 'affected', and 'trubble' (spelling error). You rely on a somewhat limited range of vocabulary, often repeating words like 'travel', 'flight', and 'problem'. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more precise collocations and a wider range of academic vocabulary to express your ideas more fluently and accurately.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'increasing number of individual choose'), incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'it is reducing', 'it will decreased'), and missing articles or prepositions. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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