Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-06

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 5.0)

Nowadays, some people take fewer flights than before every year or they just completely stop to fly. In this essay, I will discuss how this development provides benefits to the environment including reduce carbon emissions, and how international meetings and travelling affect the individuals and businesses. I believe, the individuals and companies outweigh the environmental advantages.

On the one hand, when people take few flights then airplanes will use less aviation fuel and that will burnt less fuel and reduce carbon emissions and that will make better. These gases creates global warming and make all trees, flowers become dead. For example, if a large number of people travel by train over airplane the less fuel will consume then less gases will release. Furthermore, people health may compromise as they are having breath, these gases cause diseases such as, asthma and lung cancer. However, these benefits may be limited because air travel is necessary for persons and businesses.

The disadvantages outweigh for corporate people because they have international clients for meeting and expanding the businesses. They may not growth as just limited with their own regions. For example, a company sales product all over the world and international companies recognize their products and give them chance to come over here to increase the businesses so it will become difficult for them. In addition to, individuals will not take advantages of career opportunities. As developed countries provide better education so they will not grab these chances. Along with this, a person who loves travelling to explore different cultures, food and nature. Therefore, it will become hindrance for them to grow in life.

In conclusion, Although less carbon emission protect the environment and people life, businesses mainly affect it by not growing their business as well as for individuals who want to succeed in their life. I believe, the demerits of companies and people have major impact rather than environment advantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The essay addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position that the disadvantages for individuals and businesses outweigh the environmental benefits. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the argument regarding health benefits is quite general, and the discussion on business growth lacks specific, concrete examples, relying instead on vague statements like 'international clients for meeting'. While the position is consistent, the supporting points could be more deeply explored to reach a higher band. The conclusion effectively summarizes the main argument, but the overall depth of analysis remains at a 5.0 level as the ideas are somewhat repetitive and lack nuanced exploration.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. There is a basic attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion'. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly inaccurate, such as 'In addition to, individuals will not take advantages'. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and the flow between sentences can be disjointed. While the progression of ideas is logical enough to be understood, the lack of sophisticated linking and the repetitive nature of the transitions keep this in the 5.0 range.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There is a reliance on basic terms, and some word choices are awkward or incorrect, such as 'make all trees, flowers become dead' instead of 'cause environmental degradation' or 'damage ecosystems'. Phrases like 'corporate people' and 'grab these chances' are informal and imprecise. There are also some errors in word formation, such as 'they may not growth' instead of 'they may not grow'. To improve, you should focus on using more academic collocations and precise terminology related to environmental and business topics.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity, such as 'these gases creates global warming' (subject-verb agreement) and 'as they are having breath' (incorrect phrasing). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors in basic structures like verb tenses and subject-verb agreement prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. More attention to proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy is essential.

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

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