Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)
In an era of growing climate awareness, many people are choosing to fly less or stop altogether, aiming to reduce environmental harm. While this brings challenges for individuals and businesses, I believe the benefits ultimately outweigh the disadvantages.
There are a number of benefits of the decision to reduce air travel or eliminate it entirely. Firstly, if people stop taking flight, it will ultimately reduce the number of planes and their boardings. This initiative will have a profound positive impact on our climate, as it will curb emissions and protect the air quality. Secondly, the increasing number of fly demands more fuel and other resources. As a result, to fulfill these demands, we are destroying our natural resources. For example, natural gas is an important resource of our environment. However, burning these precious resources for aviation causes significant environmental damage, which cause damage to the environment. Finally, the bird habitats are mostly destroyed due to the planes and helicopters. Therefore, limiting number of flight can help them to survive in nature instead of being endangered.
Despite the above benefits, there are some drawbacks of the decision of flying less or stop flying altogether. It will cause a great loss for the people and businesses. For instance, a person can travel from one country to another for business deals within a few hours. If the number of flights is reduced, they might face a great loss in their business. Moreover, many companies ship their products through planes. They will also face significant logistical trouble because of this.
In conclusion, short-term inconveniences for individuals and businesses pale beside the urgency of securing a sustainable future. Choosing environment over our comfort or profit is not just a duty; it is an act of hope for our future survival.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
You have addressed all parts of the prompt by discussing both the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses. Your position is clear from the introduction and maintained throughout the essay. The ideas are relevant; however, some points could be more fully developed. For instance, the argument regarding bird habitats is a bit brief and could benefit from a more specific example or explanation of how flight paths directly impact these ecosystems. Overall, you have provided a balanced view, but ensuring each paragraph has a more robust supporting example would help elevate the response to a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Despite the above benefits', and 'In conclusion' to guide the reader through your arguments. While the progression of ideas is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. Additionally, the referencing could be improved; for example, in the second paragraph, 'the increasing number of fly' is grammatically awkward and disrupts the flow. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer back to their antecedents would strengthen the cohesion of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'climate awareness', 'logistical trouble', and 'sustainable future'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'number of fly' (should be 'flights') and 'natural resource of our environment'. You also repeat the phrase 'damage to the environment' within the same sentence, which limits the sophistication of your writing. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing. Expanding your vocabulary to include more academic synonyms for common words will help you achieve a higher score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include 'the increasing number of fly demands' (subject-verb agreement and word form error) and 'limiting number of flight' (missing article). Additionally, the sentence 'burning these precious resources for aviation causes significant environmental damage, which cause damage to the environment' contains a subject-verb agreement error ('cause' instead of 'causes'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and article usage will lead to significant improvement.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.