Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-04
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)
The general public have finalized in reducing the times they fly over with a plane every 365 days or even never fly again altogether. In my opinion, I do agree that this would lead to some advantages for the natural world. However, i have a firm believe that this would affect businesses who have to travel internationally for their work.
One of the main environmental benefit of this say is that it will assist the flying birds in a way that the air would sound so natural and pure for them. As the birds have to fly all over the sky they get to breath a heavy and dense air and the main reason for this was kerosene in airplanes as petrol or diesel, which affected the flying creature's health. There are some people who frequently travel by air for literally no reason, and if they decided to reduce their travelling time that would help the nature.
Apart from this, if we ignore the ecosystem and glance over the businesses that might get affected due to this decision. There are numerous organizations that are multinational businesses or even export and import from internationals will be disadvantaged. They have to constantly travel worldwide as multinational companies operate all over the world. To make their business successful and recognized everywhere in the world, travelling by air would be required. In addition to this, this would also have a limitation for individuals as many families live far away from each other in different parts of the world, so they also have to visit their initial family members.
In conclusion, i would like to convey my point of view that this decision of reducing the travelling by air, would lead to emotional detachment from individuals loved ones, also would have a negative impact on the growth of the businesses.
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 environmental benefits and the disadvantages for businesses and individuals. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. The argument regarding 'flying birds' is scientifically inaccurate and lacks logical depth, which weakens the overall persuasiveness of the essay. While the position is clear, the supporting points are not fully extended or supported with sophisticated reasoning. The essay covers all parts of the task, but the quality of the arguments is inconsistent, leading to a score that reflects a basic level of task fulfillment.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is a logical progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly unnatural, such as 'Apart from this, if we ignore the ecosystem and glance over the businesses'. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the transition between the environmental argument and the business argument feels abrupt.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and sophistication. There are several instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'finalized in reducing the times they fly' and 'flying creature's health'. The student relies on basic vocabulary and occasionally uses words in a way that does not fit the context, such as 'initial family members' instead of 'extended family' or 'immediate family'. While the meaning is clear, the range is limited, and there is little evidence of less common lexical items used with accuracy.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. Examples include 'i have a firm believe' (should be 'belief'), 'one of the main environmental benefit' (should be 'benefits'), and 'the air would sound so natural' (should be 'feel' or 'be'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the misuse of articles and verb forms is persistent. The control of grammar is not consistent enough to reach a higher band, as errors occur in almost every paragraph.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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