Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-02

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 6.0)

It is frequently asserted that some individuals to curtail their air travel or to stop flying completely has both advantages and disadvantages. However, i largely disagree with this statement, as I believe it's negative effects outweigh the positives.

On the one hand, reducing flights brings a substantial environmental benefits. To elaborate, aviation is one of the largest contributors to carbon emissions and climate changes. A single long-haul flight generate more Co2 than an average person produce in a year by other activities. For instance, during pandemic when flights were grounded, pollution rate dropped dramatically in many nations.

On the other hand, critics argue that it has major disadvantage for businesses. In other words, international trade and commerce depends heavily on air connectivity. To illustrates, business meetings, conferences, and cargo shipments often requires quick travel. If executives fly less, deals may be delayed and companies could lose competitiveness. Similarly, the tourism industry, which supports millions of jobs in countries like India and Thailand, would collapse if tourist stopped flying, lead to massive unemployment and economic loss.

Moreover, limiting air travel creates serious demerits for individuals. This means, in today's globalised world, many people have families abroad or need to travel for education. For example, I have relatives in Canada, and if I stop flying, I may not see them for years.

To conclude, although flying less is beneficial for the environment, I think the disadvantages for individuals and businesses outweigh this merits because global connections and economic stability are essential in the modern world.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, presenting a clear position that the disadvantages of reducing air travel outweigh the environmental benefits. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, particularly the points regarding economic impact and personal connectivity. However, the introduction contains a grammatical error that makes the thesis statement slightly awkward ('some individuals to curtail... has both advantages'). While the arguments are logical, the development could be further strengthened by providing more nuanced analysis of the 'environmental benefits' versus the 'economic disadvantages' to reach a higher band. Overall, the response is focused and maintains a consistent stance throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the use of cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand,' 'To elaborate,' and 'Moreover' helps guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'To illustrate' or 'This means.' Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the different aspects of the argument. To improve, the student should aim for a more sophisticated variety of linking words and ensure that referencing between sentences is consistently smooth.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate and appropriate for the task. The student uses some topic-specific terms like 'carbon emissions,' 'globalised world,' and 'economic stability.' There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'serious demerits' (which is slightly unnatural) and 'this merits' (should be 'these merits'). While the range is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, it lacks the flexibility and precision required for a higher band. The student should focus on using more natural collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing to enhance the sophistication of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('a single long-haul flight generate,' 'an average person produce,' 'tourist stopped flying'). Additionally, the opening sentence is grammatically flawed. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, the student needs to pay closer attention to verb endings and pluralization, and aim for more error-free complex sentences.

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

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