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)

Some individuals have agreed to reduce the number of times they travel by air or even stop traveling by air. The disadvantage of this for individuals and businesses outweighs the environmental benefits.

Traveling by air has been the fastest way of transportation. Individuals have been able to arrive their destinations on time, keep to the promise of presence they made to their family or friends amidst their busy schedule. For example, a busy coach who have mentees to tutor in the morning is able to finish the tutoring and rush over to a family event holding few hours away in another part of the world or country without lifting a finger.

Traveling by air means that the other means of transportation will be less considered. For instance, when people travel by road, the buses or cars used for the transport releases fumes or smoke which affects the environment. The aircraft used in air transportation, do not release fumes that is detrimental to the eco-system.

Also, individuals and businesses have come to love comfort, embrace a business module that generates income on a steady. When people don’t fly, it means that no income will be generated. With time, businesses will have to suffer loses which will lead to them laying off some staff members. This will lead to unemployment. For instance, a pilot who is the bread winner of his family and has been flying for some years is laid off because the business can no longer keep the number of aircraft they have running, he goes home, breaks the news to his family which now becomes the beginning of their difficultly in life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. However, the development of ideas is inconsistent. The argument regarding the environmental impact of air travel is factually questionable and lacks depth, as the claim that aircraft do not release detrimental fumes is inaccurate. Furthermore, the discussion on economic impact is somewhat repetitive and relies on a single anecdotal example of a pilot. To achieve a higher band, you should provide more balanced, evidence-based arguments and ensure that your reasoning is logically sound and fully explored rather than relying on over-generalizations.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

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 instance, the transition 'Also' is used to start a paragraph, and the reliance on 'For instance' and 'For example' is predictable. The logical progression between sentences is sometimes weak; the jump from discussing road transport to the economic impact of unemployment lacks a smooth transition. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus would significantly enhance the flow of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and sophistication required for higher bands. You rely on basic phrasing such as 'fastest way of transportation' and 'difficultly in life'. There are also some awkward collocations, such as 'business module that generates income on a steady'. While you attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'eco-system' and 'unemployment', the range is limited. To improve, focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology to express complex ideas, and avoid informal or imprecise phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but accuracy is inconsistent. You have several grammatical errors, such as 'arrive their destinations' (should be 'arrive at'), 'a busy coach who have mentees' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'fumes that is detrimental' (should be 'are'). Additionally, some sentences are clunky, such as 'the aircraft used in air transportation, do not release fumes'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they occur frequently enough to lower the score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and preposition usage to improve your accuracy.

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

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