Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-08-31
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 many people decided to low their number of travelling from flights or stop flying. However this impact very negative effect on business and individual or businessess. I believe that reducing flight doesn't increase envirnmental benefits as much as we think but it will have very negative impact on businessess.
The main benefit of reducing air travel is increasing environmental benfits like reduce air polluton as we all know that alot of carbon dioxide releases of aeroplane and mix with clouds which results acid rain that is responsible of many problems like demaging tress and forest, demaging marbles and buildings and also give negative impact on animals who drink this water and also on human beigns as scientist aslo research that acide rains can also demage human skins as it contains different kinds of harmful elements like carbon, magnesuim etc. So if the demand of travelling decreases then its also decrease the air polution. People use alternatives like travelling from trains, busses withing major cities.
However redcing air travel also huge impact on business as travelling decreases then flights travellings decreases which also decrease the industrial revenue. But the main problem faces are those people who get fired from their jobs as indusrtrial revenue decrease. upper management do layoffs in their company, airports also have chances that they fire their staffs as now their huge number is not needed. So in this ways many people lose their jobs.
According to me disadvantages are more as if people use alternatives then air pollution also happens and we don't controll it but due to this many businessess face major issues and employess also lose their jobs.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the environmental benefits and the economic disadvantages of reducing air travel. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. The argument regarding environmental benefits focuses heavily on acid rain, which is a specific and somewhat narrow interpretation of the environmental impact of aviation. The economic argument is also underdeveloped, relying on general statements about layoffs without providing specific examples or deeper analysis. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more nuanced arguments and explore the complexity of the trade-offs between environmental sustainability and economic growth more thoroughly.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or repetitive. For example, the transition 'However' is used frequently, and there is a lack of sophisticated linking words to connect ideas within and between paragraphs. The progression of ideas is sometimes disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the explanation of acid rain becomes overly detailed and slightly off-topic. Improving the use of referencing and transition signals would help create a smoother flow of information throughout the essay.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There are several spelling errors, such as 'envirnmental', 'polluton', 'demaging', 'tress', 'beigns', and 'magnesuim'. Additionally, word choice is sometimes imprecise, such as 'low their number of travelling' instead of 'reduce their frequency of air travel'. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequent spelling mistakes and limited range of vocabulary prevent the essay from achieving a higher score. Expanding your vocabulary to include more academic collocations would be beneficial.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('this impact very negative effect'), incorrect verb forms ('scientist aslo research that acide rains can also demage'), and awkward phrasing ('as now their huge number is not needed'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with missing commas and run-on sentences. While the basic meaning is conveyed, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction limits the score. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article usage would lead to immediate improvement.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.