Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-13

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 6.0)

A few number of individuals have made a decision to reduce the number of flights they take every year or finish travelling by air at all. I believe that the demerits faced by people and industries due to this decision outweighs the environmental merits that it will provide as if businesses come to a halt, then the economy will be exacerbated and living standards will decline drastically. In addition, other methods such use of electric vehicles can be implemented to conserve the environment.

Making a decision to reduce the number of air trips for environment conservation purposes seems to be impractical. This is because by avoid traveling through a quicker mode of transport leads to a great waste of time. Along with that, this development will also have a negative impact on several business owners professional and personal lives as their business might suffer from limited accessibility to foreign clients due to the lack of face to face meetings. As a result, this limited exposure of businesses cause severe losses and a significant decline in economy and also international exports as clients usually give preference to other platforms that are willing to travel to do meetings.

Conversely, this initiative also have numerous benefits for the ecosystem. Firstly, the reduced number of daily flights eventually lead to the conservation of ozone layer and prevents it from depleting by which issues like global warming and climate change can be addressed. Secondly, by reducing journeys by air causes less burning of fuel, thus lowering the rate of carbon emission, which eradicates the issue of release of harmful and toxic gases in the atmosphere.

In conclusion, avoiding to fly because of environmental purposes is not a sensible decision to make due to its concerning disadvantages. Although airplanes and jets are highly responsible for carbon emission and other environmental hazards, completely stopping to use them for travelling is not a practical choice either. Therefore, I personally consider that the disadvantages of not flying overshadows its environmental benefits.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. You have identified both the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for businesses and individuals. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the argument regarding business losses is restated in different ways without adding new depth. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph introduces a distinct, well-supported point rather than circling back to the same concept. The conclusion effectively summarizes your stance, though the overall argument could be more nuanced by acknowledging the complexity of the trade-off between economic growth and environmental sustainability.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with clear paragraphing. You use cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'Conversely', and 'Firstly' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly forced. For example, the phrase 'by avoid traveling' is grammatically awkward and disrupts the flow. Additionally, the referencing in the second paragraph is slightly repetitive, as you frequently refer back to 'this development' or 'this initiative'. Improving the variety of your linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer to their antecedents would enhance the overall flow and coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'exacerbated', 'impractical', and 'carbon emission'. However, there are several instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors. For example, you use 'finish travelling' instead of 'cease travelling', and 'limited exposure of businesses cause' instead of 'causes'. The phrase 'exacerbated' is used incorrectly in the context of the economy; 'stagnated' or 'suffered' would be more appropriate. To improve, focus on learning collocations—words that naturally go together—rather than just individual synonyms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is good. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader's understanding. Notable issues include subject-verb agreement ('this initiative also have', 'this limited exposure... cause') and incorrect verb forms following prepositions or infinitives ('by avoid traveling', 'avoiding to fly'). While these errors do not completely obscure your meaning, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic agreement and ensuring that verb patterns (e.g., 'avoid flying' instead of 'avoiding to fly') are used correctly.

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

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