Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

It has been observed that all around the world people are trying to reduce environmental hazards. As a result, of this measure many individuals have decided to minimize the use of plane or have decided to never fly again.

In my opinion I think all the people on earth as a whole can make big changes as we can not stop flying forever but we can minimize it by reducing our flying time every year. Global warming is increasing day by day and in order to protect our environment we need to minimize the use of all sorts of transports including aeroplanes. Air traffic has rose steadily even if people have to travel to a nearby city they prefer flying. For instance I have seen my aunt travelling from Lahore to Faisalabad by air even though its only 2 hours away by road.

In addition to increase benefits for our society and where we live we need to breath fresh air not the polluted one. As the technology is becoming advanced day by day the disadvantages are also significantly increasing. If we will not take the measures today in future life span will decline rapidly due to air pollution. I have seen many people dying because of the diseases that are caused as a result of bad environment such as asthma or many other breathing disorders.

Furthermore many people also think that ozone layer is reducing day by day. If this keeps happening we will be exposed directly to the sunlight and many harmful rays without any protection. The rising air traffic is playing a big role in this disadvantage too.

In order to conclude my point I think reducing the number of times people fly will help strengthen our planet and environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the environmental benefits of reducing air travel. However, the task requires a balanced discussion of both the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses. The student focuses almost exclusively on the environmental aspect, mentioning the disadvantages for individuals and businesses only in passing or not at all. The position is clear, but the development of ideas is limited and somewhat repetitive. To improve, ensure you explicitly address the impact on businesses (e.g., economic loss, tourism) and individuals (e.g., loss of convenience, time) to provide a more comprehensive response that meets the 'addresses all parts' requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate, such as 'In addition to increase benefits' (should be 'To increase the benefits'). The progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed; for example, the transition between the environmental impact and the ozone layer feels abrupt. While there is a logical flow, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the repetitive nature of the sentence structures make the cohesion feel basic. Improving the variety of transition signals would help the essay flow 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 is a reliance on simple, repetitive phrasing such as 'day by day' and 'big role'. Some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'minimize the use of plane' (should be 'minimize air travel') and 'air traffic has rose' (should be 'has risen'). To achieve a higher score, you should incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to environmental science and economics, and work on collocations to ensure your word choices sound more natural and academic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'As a result, of this measure' (incorrect punctuation), 'Air traffic has rose' (incorrect verb tense), and 'we need to breath' (should be 'breathe'). Additionally, there are issues with article usage and subject-verb agreement. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on proofreading for basic tense consistency and spelling would significantly improve the clarity and accuracy of your writing.

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

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