Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-11

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 some people have decided to stop air travels or just reduce their number of flights every year. In my opinion its benefits are more than its disadvantages.

First of all, while people can travel faster with air planes, they are the main cause for carbon emission in our environment. There are a lot of issues, current environment is facing just because of increase in carbon dioxide, such as ozone layer is being damaged due to excessive amount of carbon dioxide. If road travel is being used by people instead of flights, the amount of carbon can be reduced drastically from our surroundings. As cars also emit carbon, there are now some advance vehicles available in market that can turn harmful gases into harmless ones.

On the other hand, if people just stop using flights, the money will be wasted which the government has already invested on airports and planes. In recent years, it has been observed that in many countries the government invested a lot of money on enhancing the flight experience. But this issue can be resolved, if the government just sell the planes and the services which are not being used by anyone, and then invest that money on building useful infrastructure for road travels, hybrid engine development industries ( the engine which turns harmful gases into harmless). In this way we can protect our environment as well as our investment.

In conclusion, by stop using flights or reducing their numbers will easily become beneficial for our environment. I completely agree that there are more advantages of this than disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention carbon emissions and the economic impact on airports, the arguments lack depth and specific examples. For instance, the suggestion that governments should simply 'sell the planes' is not a realistic or well-developed economic argument. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced analysis of how businesses (such as tourism or international trade) would be affected, rather than focusing primarily on government investment in infrastructure. The conclusion is clear, but the overall response remains somewhat superficial in its exploration of the trade-offs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' to signal the progression of your argument. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where the transition from carbon emissions to 'road travel' feels abrupt. To improve, try to use a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that directly relates to the prompt's core question.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on general terms like 'a lot of issues' and 'useful infrastructure'. There are some attempts at more specific vocabulary, such as 'carbon emission' and 'hybrid engine', but these are not always used with perfect collocation. To improve, focus on using more academic and precise terminology, such as 'mitigate environmental degradation' instead of 'protect our environment' or 'economic repercussions' instead of 'money will be wasted'. Spelling is generally accurate, but the range of vocabulary is somewhat restricted.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow of reading. For example, 'its benefits are more than its disadvantages' should be 'the benefits outweigh the disadvantages'. There are also issues with article usage ('in market' should be 'in the market') and verb forms ('by stop using' should be 'by stopping the use of'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your meaning, they occur frequently enough to limit your score. Focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of prepositions to enhance your accuracy.

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

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