Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

It has been observed that most person's decided to less their travelling in a year or to stop flying together. I presume that the benefits of these precautionary action would surpass its drawback to a major extent. my position is elaborated further with reasons and relevant example .

Examine the brighter side of the foremost one is that reducing air travel helps the environment by lowering greenhouse gas emissions caused by long-haul transport. For instant A marine biologist gives up flying to lower their carbon footprint. As a result , they cannot attend a major global climate summit in South America , missing the chance to network with international peers and source funding for their research. long distance flights , even with a single passenger, generate far more emissions than other transport options . moreover , personal benefit is saved money bag avoiding expensive tickets and baggage fees saves cash .

furthermore, because of the climate changes and wrong awareness of weather conditions helps to save lives in danger zone by reducing in air travel . on the contrary I would not lover look the disadvantage . people cannot see far-flung family members or friends as often, which can strain personal relationships. moreover , companies may struggle to expand into new international markets if executives and sale teams cannot visit those regions efficiently.

To conclude there are both merits and demerits of air travel globally . however , choosing trains for shorter trips or online meetings instead of in person ones can make a real difference in lowering one's environmental footprint.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The example of the marine biologist is relevant but slightly confusing in its execution, as it highlights a negative consequence of an environmental action rather than a clear environmental benefit. The position is clear, but the arguments could be more thoroughly extended to reach a higher band. Some points, such as the mention of 'wrong awareness of weather conditions,' are vague and lack logical connection to the topic of air travel.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the argument. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For instance, 'Examine the brighter side of the foremost one' is an awkward transition, and 'For instant' is a misuse of a linking phrase. While there is an overall progression, the internal logic within paragraphs is sometimes disrupted by these errors. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be improved by using a wider variety of cohesive markers more naturally.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks precision and sophistication. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'less their travelling' instead of 'reduce their travel' and 'saved money bag' which is a colloquialism or typo. The student attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'greenhouse gas emissions' and 'carbon footprint,' which is positive. However, the frequency of errors in word formation and collocation prevents the response from reaching a higher band. More attention to natural collocations would improve the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors throughout. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('most person's decided'), missing articles, and incorrect verb forms ('by avoiding... saves cash'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with spaces placed incorrectly before commas and periods. While the meaning is generally clear, the high density of errors in basic grammar and sentence construction means that the control of language is limited. More proofreading is needed to ensure that complex structures are used accurately.

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

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