Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-16

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)

Some people in the community believe that by reducing the number of times they fly each year or to stop flying altogether will benefit the environment. I strongly argue with this decision but it has some significant disadvantages for individuals and businesses.

Reducing the number of flights is beneficial for the environment because the smoke releases from the planes pollutes the environment. The smoke releases contain carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and many other pollutants which pollute the environment. The particles of these gases are present in the atmosphere and cause the global warming, acid rain and smog. These have negative effects on human health such as headache, respiratory diseases and even cause cancer. The other benefit is that fossil fuels are non-renewable sources and have limited in nature. The consumption of fossil fuels will lower by reducing the flights because of limited reserves of fossil fuels in environment.

In contrast, it has some major disadvantages because the other means of transportation are time consuming as compared to the flights. We can travel from one pole of Earth to other in just few hours while there is no other source which provide these facilities, furthermore, it is the safest means of transportation because a very few accident occur after many years. It has also another negative effect and cause loss in the businesses. Businessman cannot attend the meeting on time due to time consuming transport and they may stuck in the traffic congestion.

In my perspective, balance should be maintained to benefit the environment and also for the businesses.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both environmental benefits and the disadvantages for businesses and individuals. However, the position is somewhat contradictory; the introduction states the author 'strongly argues with this decision' (referring to reducing flights), yet the body paragraphs provide a balanced view without clearly justifying why the disadvantages outweigh the benefits or vice versa. The development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the claim that 'businessman cannot attend the meeting on time' is a valid point, but it lacks specific examples or deeper analysis to fully support the argument. To reach a higher band, ensure your position is consistent and provide more detailed, logical explanations for your claims.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is a logical progression from the environmental benefits to the disadvantages. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'The other benefit is that...' and 'It has also another negative effect...'. Additionally, some transitions between sentences within paragraphs could be smoother to improve the flow of ideas. The referencing is generally clear, but the overall cohesion could be improved by using a wider variety of linking words and phrases to connect ideas more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There are some repetitive phrases and minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'smoke releases' instead of 'emissions' or 'exhaust fumes', and 'limited in nature' which is slightly unnatural. The phrase 'one pole of Earth to other' is also imprecise. While the meaning is always clear, the vocabulary does not demonstrate a high level of sophistication or flexibility. To improve, focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology related to environmental and business topics.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'the smoke releases from the planes pollutes' (subject-verb agreement), 'cause the global warming' (unnecessary article), and 'a very few accident occur' (pluralization error). While these errors do not impede communication, they are persistent throughout the text. To achieve a higher score, you should focus on improving your control over articles, pluralization, and subject-verb agreement, and attempt to incorporate a wider variety of complex sentence structures with greater accuracy.

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

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