Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-15

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)

Nowadays, some people are making a concious decision of either flying less by air annually or to stop using air as a medium for transport. Although this decision has some drawbacks, I strongly believe that the benefits of this outweigh the disadvantages in this case.

One major advantage is on the environmental safety. Aircrafts use petroleum for energy, when it flies in the sky it releases carbon dioxide as a result of combustion. This in-return pollute the air and significantly increases the carbon footprint. Thus, lesser flights can decrease the total carbon footprint and this will have a positive impact on the ecosystem and global warming. Another benefit is that it saves alot of money. People fly unnecessarily and waste their money, by choosing to fly less they can invest it in the right areas which will benefit them in future.

However, there are some disadvantages to consider. The biggest concern is the negative impact on businesses. When people will opt to fly less, many airlines will suffer a loss and eventually will shut down in future. This can also impact the economy. Another disadvantage is the convenience of flying by air. Flights save time and make the long distance to only hours short flight. For example, people who lives abroad can go to their home country to meet their families in just few hours.

In conclusion, while this decision has certain drawbacks such as business loss and convenience of flights, I strongly believe that its advantages in terms of decrease in carbon foot print and money saving clearly outweigh the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position that the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, covering environmental impact, financial savings, business losses, and personal convenience. However, the development is somewhat limited. For instance, the point about financial savings is underdeveloped and lacks a strong connection to the core environmental argument. While the position is consistent, the supporting arguments could benefit from more depth and specific examples to reach a higher band. Overall, the response is well-structured and directly answers the question asked.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, such as environmental benefits or business disadvantages. Cohesive devices like 'Although', 'Thus', 'Another benefit', and 'However' are used to guide the reader through the argument. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions are slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the advantages from the disadvantages, which helps the reader follow the progression of ideas. The referencing is clear throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task. You use some topic-specific terms like 'carbon footprint', 'combustion', and 'ecosystem'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'concious' (spelling: conscious), 'Aircrafts' (the plural of aircraft is aircraft), and 'in-return' (should be 'in return'). The phrase 'make the long distance to only hours short flight' is also slightly awkward. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring correct spelling of common academic terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is a good attempt at using complex sentences with 'Although' and 'While'. However, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'when it flies in the sky it releases' (subject-verb agreement: 'they release'), 'people who lives' (should be 'people who live'), and 'in just few hours' (missing article: 'a few'). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. Increasing the variety of complex structures and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would help improve the score.

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