Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
Travelling by air is one of the most convenient and comfortable way to travelling. A few individuals agree to reduce the use of air transportation modes every year. This essay will discuss the advantages which are overlapping the disadvantages in enumerated paragraphs.
To commence with, there are several positive factors of reducing air transportation on environment. Initially, travelling by air requires a huge amount of fuels to operate the airplanes and helicopters which cause in the reduction of natural resources. As a result, drop in the number of flights means less usage of natural fuels. Moreover, such air transportation modes also make a lot of noise which leads to noise pollution and sometimes disturb people. Furthermore, the construction of massive airports need a lot of space ,therefore companies clean the land of forests by removing the trees which results in deforestation.
On the flip side, there are several downsides of the decline in number flights. First and foremost reason is that it can effect the economy of the country. Because airplane companies and massive airports pay a huge amount of taxes the government. Which maintain the funds of the country as well as provide money for the construction of the infrastructure. In addition, decline in airports and flights also reduce the opportunities to explore new nation and employment. The key factor is that airplane are widely used for the travelling to other cities and country. Therefore, it can reduce the social interaction of people.
In conclusion, some useful rules and regulation can help to eradicate such issues causing due to the air travel. So that it can not effects the financial state of the country as well providing more opportunities.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the environmental benefits and the economic/social disadvantages of reducing air travel. However, the position is not clearly stated in the introduction; you mention that advantages 'overlap' the disadvantages, but you do not explicitly state which side you find more compelling. While the ideas are relevant, the development is somewhat superficial. For example, the point about 'social interaction' is mentioned but not fully explained or linked back to the core question of whether the environmental benefits outweigh the drawbacks. To improve, ensure your stance is clear from the start and provide more depth in your supporting arguments.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Moreover', and 'On the flip side' to signal transitions. However, some of these transitions feel a bit mechanical or slightly misused, such as 'which are overlapping the disadvantages in enumerated paragraphs'. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, particularly in the conclusion where the connection between the proposed 'rules and regulations' and the previous arguments is weak. Improving the variety and natural flow of your linking words will help move your score higher.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You have an adequate range of vocabulary to convey your meaning, using terms like 'deforestation', 'infrastructure', and 'eradicate'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'cause in the reduction' (should be 'cause a reduction') and 'clean the land of forests' (should be 'clear the land of forests'). Some phrases are also repetitive, such as 'air transportation modes'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding word-for-word translations that sound unnatural in English.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the flow. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('airplane are widely used'), article usage ('the economy of the country' vs 'the economy of a country'), and prepositional errors ('disturb people' vs 'disturb the people'). Additionally, there are punctuation errors, such as missing commas after introductory phrases and incorrect sentence fragments like 'Which maintain the funds of the country'. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy will significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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