Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-03
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)
Recently some people have decided to reduce the number of time they fly every year or to stop flying altogether because of pollution issues. Although this might cause some difficulties for some individuals but i believe that the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages.
On the one hand, reducing or completely cutting off the air travel can cause problems to a lot of individuals. Such as if people want to travel as soon as possible they can not due to no air travel facilities as it is the most fastest and convenient way to reach some where and they might have to use slower travelling options like buses, trains or cars. Also i think businesses which are highly depended on the air travel will face a lot of financial issues. For example the owners of hotels, air bnbs etc which are dependent on customers to book their room for travelling abroad will face a lot of problems.
On the other hand, I believe that the environmental benefits are more significant. Air travel contributes to carbon emissions, so reducing the number of flights people take can help decrease their environmental impact. Furthermore, if more people choose alternatives such as trains for shorter journeys, this could encourage the development and use of more sustainable forms of transport. In the long term, protecting the environment is beneficial not only for individuals but also for businesses and society as a whole. Therefore, the inconvenience caused by reducing air travel is relatively small compared with its potential environmental benefits.
In conclusion, although flying less may cause inconvenience to travelers and financial difficulties for some businesses, I believe that the environmental advantages are more important. Therefore, the benefits of reducing air travel outweigh the disadvantages.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating a position that the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages. The ideas are relevant, covering both the negative impact on individuals and businesses and the positive environmental outcomes. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the discussion on businesses is quite brief and could have been expanded with more specific examples or deeper analysis of the economic trade-offs. While the position is consistent throughout, the supporting arguments would benefit from more depth to reach a higher band. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, but the arguments remain at a somewhat superficial level.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to link ideas. However, there are some minor issues with sentence-level cohesion, such as the use of 'Such as' at the start of a sentence, which is grammatically incomplete. Despite this, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure supports the reader's understanding of the argument effectively.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.0
The vocabulary used is generally appropriate for the task and allows for clear communication. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'carbon emissions', 'sustainable', and 'environmental impact'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is some repetition of basic terms like 'problems' and 'individuals'. Some word choices are slightly imprecise, such as 'highly depended' instead of 'highly dependent'. To improve, you should aim to incorporate more sophisticated synonyms and collocations to demonstrate a wider range of lexical control.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'number of time' should be 'number of times', and 'most fastest' is a double superlative error. Additionally, the sentence 'Although this might cause some difficulties for some individuals but i believe...' contains a redundant 'but' after 'Although'. Punctuation and capitalization (e.g., 'i') also need attention. While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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