Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

In a recent years, many people choose to reduce the number of flights or to stop flying completely to protect the environment from harmful affects. Although flying to other countries is crucial for various purposes, still advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

One major advantage of reducing the number flights to other countries is that it is helpful for the environment. As Airplanes uses large amount of fossil fuels which converted various harmful gases such as carbon monoxides, nitrogen and Sulphur etc. into the atmosphere. These gases have detrimental effects on humans and animals. They pollute the environment and make it difficult for the people to live in. For instance, these gases are also destroying Ozone layer and sunlight directly effecting human skin and causing various diseases. In addition plants are also get effected by the Air pollution.

The second advantage of reducing number of flights is that people will travel by trains and buses so less fuel will be used. People can run their business from home through video calls and it would also save their time. In that way people can save the environment by using different strategies.

In contrast, Many business required face to face meeting instead of video calls so it may cause negative impact on work. Moreover people will not travel by airplanes, it would cause negative impact on country's economy. Airports and Aircrafts will run out of budget.

In conclusion, Flying to other countries gives sense of freedom, chance explore different culture and promote business, However it also causes detrimental effect on humans , environment and leads to change the climate. Protecting environment should be the priority because a healthy environment develop healthy nation and leads to progressive country.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student addresses the prompt by discussing both the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses, presenting a clear overall position that the environmental benefits outweigh the drawbacks. However, the reasoning contains a logical contradiction in the opening paragraph, where the student claims that reducing flights is advantageous, yet the thesis statement reads 'still advantages outweigh the disadvantages,' which is slightly confusing given the context. The main body paragraphs cover relevant ideas such as reduced fossil fuel consumption and economic impacts on aviation and business, but these points are somewhat under-developed and rely on general assertions rather than fully elaborated examples. For instance, the mention of the ozone layer and plant damage touches on valid ecological concerns, but the support lacks depth. Therefore, the response aligns best with Band 6.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a generally coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction and conclusion. Paragraphing is used to separate distinct ideas, such as environmental benefits versus economic disadvantages. However, cohesion is at times mechanical or faulty. Transitions between and within paragraphs are basic, relying heavily on simple connectors like 'In addition,' 'The second advantage,' and 'In contrast.' Furthermore, referencing and logical progression occasionally falter, such as the sudden shift to discussing video calls and trains in the second body paragraph without smooth transitional linking to the overarching environmental theme. Paragraphing could also be managed more naturally to group related points together. These issues place the response firmly in the Band 6 descriptor range for cohesion and coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'detrimental effects,' 'progressive country,' and 'fossil fuels.' However, there are notable lexical errors and awkward word choices throughout the text. Examples include 'In a recent years' (grammatical error in collocation), 'harmful affects' (incorrect noun form of affect), 'chance explore' (missing preposition 'to'), and 'plants are also get effected' (incorrect passive voice formation). While these vocabulary and word-choice errors do not completely impede communication, they restrict the response to Band 5.5, rounded to Band 6 for adequate coverage of the topic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in article usage, verb forms, and prepositions, such as 'In a recent years,' 'Airplanes uses,' 'gases which converted,' 'reducing number of flights,' and 'Many business required.' Subject-verb agreement errors ('Airplanes uses,' 'plants are also get effected') and incorrect verb tenses appear regularly. Although these errors do not completely obscure the message, they cause some difficulty for the reader and prevent the response from achieving a Band 6, placing it at Band 5.0.

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

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