Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-12
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)
In recent decades, many individuals have decided to reduce the number of times, they fly every year and prevent flying because it is affecting to environment and air polluation levels are escalating rapidely. However, if people will not fly they will face several challenges. Therefore, I firmly believe that the disadvantages for individuals and businesses far outweigh these minor evironmental benefits.
On the one hand, some people believe that they should stop to use flight for travelling, but if individuals stop flying they can face a lot of problems. This is because the tourism sector serves as a vital pillar of the national economy since foreigners visit different countries and they travel by flight. As a consequence, if stop flying governments can economy losses. and tourism will be finished. Even a lot of pilot and crew can unempolyed. For instance, countries trade with each other through the air route, this it is very essential for them and people cannot survive without trades and employment.
On the other hand, there are also some drawbacks of flying. Planes release substantial amount of polluation, which direct affect to environment and it casue contamination. For example, countries transport their resources through planes
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.5 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response presents a clear position regarding the environmental benefits versus the disadvantages of reducing air travel. However, the task achievement is heavily impacted by two main issues. First, the essay is significantly under-length, containing only 198 words against the required 250-word minimum, which falls short of the task requirements and prevents full development of ideas. Second, the second body paragraph is incomplete and cuts off abruptly, leaving the counter-argument about the environmental drawbacks underdeveloped. While the writer attempts to address all parts of the prompt, the limited word count and truncated arguments restrict the score. Therefore, it fits best within Band 5, where ideas are limited and under-developed due to length constraints.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay demonstrates some organizational structure with basic transitional markers such as 'In recent decades', 'On the one hand', and 'On the other hand'. However, the overall progression is disrupted by sentence-level errors and the abrupt ending of the second body paragraph. Paragraphing is attempted, but the final paragraph is incomplete. Cohesive devices are sometimes used mechanically or inaccurately, such as 'if stop flying governments can economy losses' and 'this it is very essential for them'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, which creates stumbling blocks for the reader. These features align closely with Band 5 descriptors, where there is some organization and paragraphing, but overall progression is hindered by inaccurate and repetitive cohesive devices.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student uses a limited but minimally adequate range of vocabulary suitable for discussing travel and the economy, such as 'tourism sector', 'national economy', and 'employment'. However, there are frequent word-choice and collocation errors that make communication awkward or unclear, including 'prevent flying', 'affecting to environment', 'polluation levels', 'economy losses', and 'unempolyed'. Spelling errors like 'polluation', 'rapidely', 'evironment', and 'unempolyed' also occur. While the writer attempts less common vocabulary, the noticeable errors and restricted range place this performance firmly at Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing conditionals and subordinate clauses such as 'if people will not fly they will face several challenges'. However, control over grammar is weak, and attempts at complex structures frequently result in serious errors, such as 'if stop flying governments can economy losses' and 'Planes release substantial amount of polluation, which direct affect to environment and it casue contamination'. Frequent errors in verb forms, prepositions, and sentence structure cause considerable difficulty for the reader. Because the grammatical range is limited and accuracy is low with frequent breakdown in complex structures, a score of Band 4.0 or 4.5 is warranted; a band score of 4.5 reflects the presence of some correct simple sentences alongside severe structural errors.
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.