Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-17

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 6.5)

Certain individuals have decided to diminish the number of times they fly annually or to cease flying altogether. Although flying can help many businesses grow, I believe that reducing air travel or avoiding it altogether can be more beneficial to the environment.

The main environmental benefit of less or no air travel altogether is less pollution to the environment. When people stop traveling this causes them to reduce pollution since many airplanes use an enormous amount of fuel. For instance, if fewer people choose to fly, airlines may operate fewer flights, which would reduce the amount of fuel burned and consequently lower the amount of pollution released into the atmosphere. As a result, reducing the amount of fuel and carbon emissions, which is sincerely beneficial for the environment.

The main disadvantage of less air travel is that it can make it harder for businesses to operate and expand globally as this will cause them to lose a lot of their demand. When fewer flights are operated, businesses tend to find it difficult to pursue their work since certain airplanes are not always available. For example, when airlines run fewer flights, air travel businesses will find it difficult to book a flight for its international customers. Consequently, business will fall apart and lose a lot of its customers as they cannot find flights to reserve.

In conclusion, although reducing air travel may create difficulties for individuals and businesses, I believe that the environmental benefits of flying less or not at all outweigh these disadvantages. This is because lower air travel can significantly reduce pollution and carbon emissions.

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, though the development is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the argument regarding business disadvantages focuses heavily on the availability of flights rather than broader economic impacts. While the position is consistent, the supporting arguments could be more nuanced to reach a higher band. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main point, but the overall development remains somewhat basic, lacking depth in the exploration of the 'individuals' aspect of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central topic. Cohesive devices such as 'For instance', 'As a result', and 'In conclusion' are used to link ideas. However, the progression of ideas is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel repetitive. For example, the phrase 'less or no air travel' is used frequently, which impacts the flow. The referencing is generally clear, but the essay would benefit from a wider variety of cohesive markers to improve the logical flow between sentences and paragraphs.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks sophistication. The student uses basic terms like 'diminish', 'grow', and 'difficult' repeatedly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'consequently' and 'significantly', but the range is limited. The word choice is generally accurate, but there is a lack of precision and variety that would be expected at a higher level. To improve, the student should focus on using more academic collocations and synonyms to avoid repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there are some complex sentences, they are often repetitive in their construction. Grammatical control is generally good, and errors are infrequent and do not impede communication. For example, 'As a result, reducing the amount of fuel and carbon emissions, which is sincerely beneficial for the environment' is a sentence fragment that lacks a main verb. Despite this, the majority of the text is error-free, showing a reasonable level of control over basic and some complex structures.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.