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)
Some people took decision not to fly or decrease the number of their journey by planes. Though it has beneficial effects on environment such as reducing greenhouse gas, I think it has serious detrimental consequence on economy as the transportation sector is damaged. So the benefit is outweighed by the drawbacks.
On the one hand, falling the number of plane journeys may benefit the environment by producing less greenhouse gas. A plane discharges carbon di-oxide gas when it flies and this gas generates green house gas which is harmful for our ecosystem as it rises global temperature and melts the ice of the ocean. As a result, the water layer of ocean will increase and the civilisation will be at the risk of destruction.However, when it required to travel, people will go at any cost either by flight or vehicles those will also emit carbon di-oxide.
On the other hand, reducing the flight journey will have a serious negative effect on economy. If the passengers start to avoid airline industry, they will be unable to generate profits and as a result, it will affect the people or business associated with it. For example, many flight attendants and airport staffs will lose their job and in addition, the state will be failed to generate tax from this sector.
In conclusion, many people think that falling the number of plane journey will have environmental benefits as it reduce carbon di-oxide gas. But I think it is outweighed by the negative effect on the state economy.
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 student addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the environmental benefits and the socio-economic disadvantages of reducing air travel, and clearly presents a personal position that the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. The ideas are relevant and generally supported, such as mentioning greenhouse gases and economic repercussions on the airline industry. However, some arguments remain somewhat limited and under-developed, falling short of the depth required for Band 7. For instance, the counter-argument regarding alternative transport emitting carbon is introduced briefly without full extension. Overall, the response meets the criteria for Band 6 as it addresses all parts of the task with relevant ideas, though some parts could be more fully developed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear stance stated in the introduction, distinct body paragraphs using standard signposting phrases ('On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'In conclusion'), and a concluding summary. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, and referencing is not always completely clear. For example, the phrase 'falling the number of plane journeys' is awkward and repetitive, and transition between sentences occasionally feels abrupt. The logical progression is present and adequate for the task, but lacks the flexibility seen in higher bands. This performance firmly aligns with Band 6 descriptors for Coherence and Cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items and topic-related terms such as 'greenhouse gas', 'ecosystem', 'transportation sector', and 'airline industry'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, form, and collocation. Examples include 'took decision' instead of 'made the decision', 'falling the number' instead of 'reducing the number', 'carbon di-oxide' (hyphenation and spelling), and 'the state will be failed' instead of 'the state will fail'. These vocabulary and spelling errors do not impede overall communication, but they occur with enough frequency to prevent the score from reaching Band 7. Therefore, a Band 6 is appropriate.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing conditional and relative clauses such as 'when it required to travel' and 'people or business associated with it'. However, there is a noticeable lack of grammatical control with frequent errors in tense, voice, and article usage. For instance, 'Some people took decision', 'as it rises global temperature' (should be raises), 'when it required to travel' (passive voice error), and 'on economy' (missing article). While these errors do not completely obscure the meaning and communication is generally maintained, they recur across the text, preventing the response from achieving a Band 6.5 or 7.0. The grammar aligns best with Band 5.5, which is rounded to 5.5.
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.