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)
In the contemporary epoch, reducing travelling by air according to many people has emerged as a highly contentious issue sparking a considerable debate among individuals and policy makers alike. A growing number of individuals have exhibited a marked preference for travelling by air while others vehemently contend this notion. While certain remifications assosiated with this development cannot be disregarded. From my stand point, its merits overwhelmingly eclipse its demerits. At the outset, this development confers a plethora of environmental benefits. A considerable proportion of individuals has embarked upon reducing unnecessary air travels after carefull planning and consideration. This, in turn, enables societies to reduce excessive carbon emmission with highted efficiency. Moreover, it provides a great way to plummet the air pollution causing by aircrafts. For instance, if we use small vehicles like cars, buses and trains for small journeys they can expel less carbon and fuel emission instead of aeroplains. On the other hand, this prevalling trend can significantly augment the ease with individuals and bussinesses can adopt more sustainable practice. People are able to use alternative means of transport for their short-period bussiness trips.
To commence, one of the most compelling reason supporting my view point is that with the passage of time trend of by-air-travel increasing, consequently create airpollution as well. todays air pollution is a great problem from many expect for both land and air population's health. For example, air pollution causes severe breathing problems in adults and old age people. However, this paradigm shift is not entirely devoid of drawbacks. A paramount concern is that it may cause challanges for some professionals who require quick travelling for some type of works. For example, once i had to go out of country for my meeting within a day which can't be possible by train or buse, then travelling by air facilitates me travelling within required time. In conclusion, although redducing travelling by air has some disadvantages like reduces ability to travel conveniently, its merits yield better benefits. This not only able to reduce air pollution also enables individuals to go for bussinesses trips by road with other means of transport.
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 the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses. However, the development of ideas is somewhat inconsistent. While the environmental benefits are mentioned, the explanation remains superficial, and the argument regarding business impacts is repetitive and lacks depth. The position is clear throughout, but the supporting examples, such as the personal anecdote about a business trip, are not fully integrated into a broader discussion of the topic. To improve, ensure that each paragraph provides a more detailed analysis of the implications rather than just stating them.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'To commence', and 'In conclusion'. However, the flow of ideas is occasionally disjointed. Some transitions feel mechanical, and the logical progression within paragraphs is sometimes hindered by awkward phrasing. For instance, the transition between the environmental benefits and the business disadvantages in the first paragraph is abrupt. The use of referencing is sometimes unclear, which occasionally forces the reader to re-read sentences to grasp the intended meaning.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary range is adequate for the task, with attempts to use more sophisticated terms like 'contentious', 'plethora', and 'paradigm shift'. However, there are frequent spelling errors (e.g., 'remifications', 'assosiated', 'emmission', 'highted', 'prevalling', 'bussinesses') and some inaccuracies in word choice (e.g., 'plummet the air pollution' instead of 'reduce' or 'mitigate'). These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader, though they do not fully impede communication. A more careful proofreading process would help address these spelling and collocation issues.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there is an attempt to use complex sentences, they are often marred by grammatical errors, such as 'causing by aircrafts' instead of 'caused by aircraft' and 'which can't be possible' instead of 'which would not be possible'. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are issues with sentence boundaries and subject-verb agreement. The frequency of these errors is high enough to prevent the essay from reaching a higher band, as they require the reader to exert effort to interpret the intended meaning.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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