Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-27

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 recent years, air transportation has became one of the most demanding service. Some people have chosen to reduce the number of time they travel altogether because of environmental concerns. I believe that environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses.

Air transportation leads to the major amount of pollution in the environment. The main advantage to decrease air travel is that it can decrease the amount of carbon emission. Carbon is responsible to increase temperature and heat in environment. It has a direct link in the depletion of the zone layer. For people who regularly travel for Business related purpose should understand it cause and should resist air traveling for the betterment of environment.

Secondly, it consumes the major amount of fossil fuel which is a natural resources. It is available only in a enumerate amount, so people should understand its importance and should avoid using it in inappropriate amount. For example, people should replace short domestic flights with trains, which generally emits less emission per person. Government should invest more heavily in cleaner forms of transportation.

There are several disadvantages to businesses and individual. Businesses may be affected because air travel is often necessary for meetings and conference. For individual, avoiding flights can make international travel more difficult and time consuming. But this disadvantages can not outweigh the advantages to the environment cause by stop flying.

In conclusion, people should understand the necessity to travel in air transport and in rare cause they should choose air transportation. Government should take proper initiatives to improve the transportation method which does not harm the environment at a higher extent.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, such as carbon emissions and the depletion of the ozone layer, and the mention of fossil fuel consumption. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the discussion on the impact on businesses and individuals is brief and could have been expanded with more specific examples or deeper analysis. The conclusion is clear, but the overall argument lacks the depth required for a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Secondly', 'For example', and 'In conclusion', which help the reader follow the progression of ideas. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the phrase 'it cause' in the second paragraph, which lacks a clear antecedent. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the environmental benefits from the disadvantages, contributing to a coherent overall structure.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety expected at higher levels. There are several instances of awkward word choice or incorrect collocations, such as 'demanding service' instead of 'demanding industry', 'major amount of pollution' instead of 'significant level of pollution', and 'enumerate amount' instead of 'finite amount'. While the meaning is clear, the range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, and the errors in word choice prevent the response from reaching a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'has became' instead of 'has become', 'number of time' instead of 'number of times', 'responsible to increase' instead of 'responsible for increasing', and 'this disadvantages' instead of 'these disadvantages'. While these errors do not impede communication, they are persistent and demonstrate a lack of control over complex structures. More attention to subject-verb agreement and pluralization is needed.

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