Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-29

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 6.5)

A number of individuals have decided to reduce or discontinue air travel altogether. The primary environmental benefits from this decision would be reduction in use of fossil fuel and air pollution. However, longer travel time and financial loss for airlines can be its drawbacks.

The main benefit to the environment would be reduced reliance on fossil fuels. Petrol is extracted from oil and its extraction brings considerable damage to the land as its extraction requires methods such as deep digging and blasting, which severely impact the environment. Moreover, airplanes cause considerable air pollution as the burning of petrol emits greenhouse gases and particles into the atmosphere, which degrades the air quality. A reduction in the number of flights would lead to a cleaner and saver air for people to breathe.

Despite these advantages, there would be significant disadvantages of this development on individuals and businesses. Firstly, it would take people a lot longer to cover distances. This would make it difficult for people to travel to meet their families in different countries, as well as reduce a chance for people to explore beautiful destinations around the world. Furthermore, there are a large number of airlines operating business on a large scale, employing thousands of people and owning hundreds of aircrafts. A reduction in air travel would negatively affect their business, causing unemployment and financial losses.

In conclusion, I believe the long terms advantages of lesser or no flying outweigh these disadvantages, because it reduces reliance on fossil fuels and lessens air pollution.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing arguments for both the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses. The position is clear throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the discussion on the economic impact on airlines is brief and could have been expanded with more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. While the main points are relevant, the essay lacks a degree of depth in its exploration of the trade-offs, which prevents it from reaching the highest band levels. Overall, the response is well-focused and directly answers the question asked.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, such as environmental benefits in the second paragraph and disadvantages in the third. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Moreover', 'Despite these advantages', and 'Furthermore', which help guide the reader through the argument. However, the transitions between some sentences feel slightly mechanical. The progression of ideas is generally smooth, though the link between the environmental impact of fuel extraction and the specific act of flying could be more tightly integrated to improve the overall flow of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally appropriate for the task and allows for clear communication. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'fossil fuels', 'greenhouse gases', and 'unemployment'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and repetitive phrasing. For instance, the phrase 'operating business on a large scale' is slightly unnatural, and 'saver air' is a grammatical error (should be 'safer'). The range of vocabulary is sufficient for the task but lacks the sophistication and precision required for a higher band score. Improving the variety of collocations would enhance the quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the grammar is generally accurate and does not impede communication, there are several errors. For example, 'the long terms advantages' should be 'long-term advantages', and 'a chance for people' is slightly awkward in this context. Additionally, the use of articles is occasionally inconsistent, such as 'reduce a chance'. The punctuation is generally correct, but the range of complex structures is somewhat limited. To improve, you should aim for more varied sentence patterns and ensure greater precision in pluralization and article usage.

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

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