Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-22

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)

In this modern world, environment faces a lot of negative issues that has been done by different kind of pollution occurs by the human activities due to which some people reckon that if they travel less by aeroplane then it will help in reducing the tribulation which will be heavier then the impacts humans need to face due to this decision. Well, I will discuss this in forthcoming segments of this essay and then conclude my view at the last.

Firstly, if people decrease their travelling by plane, it will affect their in person business interaction as well as their relation with client. Moreover, the people who have their relatives residing in different countries will be affected more as they become deprived of meeting them.

On the other side, it results in more environmental benefits. Predominent one is it aid in declining the amount of carbon dioxide released in sky due to aeroplane aviation. Moreover, it will help in falling down the air traffic which works by controlling the noise pollution near the airports. Last but not least, it will help in saving birds life as sometimes due to bad weather birds loose their control and collide with the plane due to which they lose their life.

To encapsulate after reiterating the aforementioned points, I land onto the conclusion that the benefits of reduced flight is overweighing the individual's drawbacks so in order to balance the environment, we can consider using railways or roadways or we can also manage our client's interaction through video meetings.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses. However, the development of these ideas is quite limited. The arguments regarding business interactions and personal relationships are mentioned but not sufficiently extended or supported with specific examples. The environmental points, such as carbon emissions and noise pollution, are listed rather than explored in depth. To reach a higher band, you need to provide more detailed explanations and concrete examples for each point raised. While a position is clear, the overall development is superficial, which limits the response to a Band 5.5 level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some basic cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'On the other side'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the logical progression within paragraphs is weak. For instance, the transition from discussing business impacts to personal relationships is abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is unclear, such as the phrase 'the tribulation which will be heavier then the impacts'. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus would significantly improve the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for higher bands. You use some repetitive or slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'falling down the air traffic' and 'saving birds life'. There are also instances of word-choice errors, such as 'tribulation' to describe environmental issues, which is not the most appropriate term in this context. While you attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary like 'carbon dioxide' and 'aviation', the overall range is limited. To improve, focus on learning collocations and more sophisticated synonyms for common words to express your ideas with greater clarity and style.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Examples include 'environment faces a lot of negative issues that has been done' (subject-verb agreement), 'different kind of pollution occurs' (pluralisation), and 'benefits of reduced flight is overweighing' (subject-verb agreement). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly in the opening paragraph. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. You should focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that your complex sentences are constructed accurately to improve your score in this area.

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

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