Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-19
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)
To cover a long journy in a less time, flights are more convinient, comfortable and easy option among all the travelling options, some people frequantly boards a flight and enjoy their journy, while some argue that it requieres some acction to save the environment, as we know merits always comes with some demerits, the following eassy will discuss both, and will provide my opinion accordingly.
On the one hand, there are so many personalities, celebrities, politicians, and businessmen, who have to travel for kilometers, very frequantly, and they always prefer flights to save their time. Also when it comes to such urgencies, for instance medical emergencies, business meetings, country development meetings for the politicians, airways proved wiser path rather than any other traveling options. hustle of traffic jam and over crowding could be avoided by airways. Also people who believe in a luxury, always board a flight for thier travelling. Stop flying entirely couldn't be done by anyone.
On the other hand, Flights has more negative environmental effects as compare to road and water transport. it spreads more noice, and air pollution, also it requires more fuel energy rather than train and boats. It would help to save the resources as well it will decrease ratio of polution if people decrease boading personal flights or jets. Insted of that they can travel with public transport for urgencis they should board a boing, or common flights which are available.
In Conclusion, It has it's own advantages, however environmental effects is the most important factor for the world, and saving natural resources is the first priority of every individual, so they can travel people should travel with public transport untill there is no emergency.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the benefits and disadvantages of reducing air travel. However, the development of ideas is limited. While you mention the convenience of flights for business and emergencies, the explanation remains superficial. The environmental arguments are also somewhat repetitive and lack specific examples or depth. To improve, you should expand on the 'environmental benefits' versus 'disadvantages for businesses' by providing more concrete consequences or real-world scenarios. Your position is stated in the introduction, but it could be more consistently maintained throughout the body paragraphs to ensure a stronger, more persuasive argument.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use basic cohesive devices like 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand' to signal shifts in the argument. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and there are instances where the logical progression is hindered by awkward phrasing, such as the transition between the benefits of luxury travel and the impossibility of stopping flying entirely. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring that each sentence logically follows the previous one would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
There is a noticeable number of spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'journy', 'convinient', 'frequantly', 'eassy', 'noice', and 'boing'. These errors are frequent enough to be distracting. While you attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'environmental effects' and 'public transport', the range is limited and often repetitive. To reach a higher band, you need to demonstrate a wider range of vocabulary and pay closer attention to accurate spelling. Using more precise synonyms and avoiding basic errors will help improve your lexical score significantly.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures, and there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. For example, 'merits always comes with some demerits' (subject-verb agreement), 'Flights has more negative' (subject-verb agreement), and 'it requires more fuel energy rather than train and boats' (incorrect comparative structure). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. To improve, focus on mastering subject-verb agreement and varying your sentence structures by incorporating more complex sentences with subordinate clauses, while ensuring that these structures are used accurately.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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