Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-25

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 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?

The flying on aeroplanes or on helicopters may have various reasons that people take these journeys. It can be essential for some travellers and some may do for entertainment so it depends. I believe the reduction in air travel may have greated effects on individuals and businesses than environmental damage.

The cut of air travel can cause delays in people to reach their destinations, also businesses may lose their deals, or may incurr additional costs to the companies and individuals. This could result in increase usage of cars, public transport or other road vehicles which are much slower than a aeroplane or helicopter. Additionally usage of cars and other modes of transportation on roads may increase traffic congestion and cost them huge waiting times and delays.

The environmental damage flying does is polluting the air which has devasting impacts on human life and emit the green house like this is the air human inhale and this can cause serion health issues. Also if we people are switching to car or other vehicles for journeys then also cars and other vehicles as well leave such gases which pollutes the air. Nevertheless this is not the solution for environmental problems unless consumers use electric vehicles which creates less carbon emission.

Lastly, People should take flights only in the case of emergency or life risking condition otherwise they should travel through other vehichles which are less effecting to environment and as well as save their time and cost. So this will reduce the number of flights taken in a year which results to protect the environment and individuals and businesses lossess.

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 ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, the argument regarding the environmental impact is slightly contradictory, as the text suggests that switching to cars might negate the benefits of flying less, but does not fully explore the nuance of this trade-off. The position is clear, but the supporting arguments lack depth and specific examples, which limits the overall impact of the essay. To improve, you should provide more concrete evidence or logical elaboration for each point raised.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed. While cohesive devices such as 'Additionally', 'Nevertheless', and 'Lastly' are used, they are occasionally used in a mechanical way that does not always create a smooth flow between sentences. The referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the third paragraph where the connection between air travel and the proposed solution of electric vehicles is abrupt. Improving the use of linking words to show logical relationships rather than just listing points would enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'greated effects' (greater), 'incurr' (incur), and 'devasting' (devastating). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic terms like 'good', 'bad', or 'things'. To reach a higher band, you should aim to use more precise academic vocabulary and ensure correct spelling. For instance, instead of 'less effecting to environment', a more natural expression would be 'less harmful to the environment'. Expanding your range of collocations will help convey your ideas with greater precision.

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 impede the flow of reading. Examples include 'The flying on aeroplanes... may have various reasons that people take these journeys' and 'emit the green house like this is the air human inhale'. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage (e.g., 'a aeroplane'). While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would be highly beneficial.

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

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