Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-16

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 6.0)

The growing prevalence of flying in airplanes each year has prompted a closer examination of its implications for individuals and society as a whole. Although reducing travel in flights has advantages, I believe that it has several drawbacks. This view is primarily based on economic impact and fluctuation in employment opportunities.

On of the strongest arguments in favour of not to stop flying frequently is that non-frequent travelling impact the economy of the nation. This is largely because countries generate a massive revenue from the air-traffic. In particular, international flights pay higher taxes to the airport authorities to utilise the airport amenities. For example, Perth international airport which has given greater airport facilities to global airlines is more likely to impose higher taxes, which can have significant implications at business level. This isllustrates how reducing the number of travelling can disturb the economy. Therefore, people should travel often.

A further consideration is that airplane commutes create employment opportunities for both in flight attendents and airport staff. The underlying reason is that to manage the security and comfort of travellers more staff is required to operate different job responsbilities. This is precisely relevant when people are travelling in holiday period such as Christmas. Consequently, airline's employees navigate passengers through boarding process, luggage check-in and immigration process, which can have significant implications at individual level. Taken together, these factors suggest that decrease in travelling can impact finances of many people.

In conclusion, although decline in air-plane transport has some environmental advantanges, I believe that the advantages do not outweigh the disadvantages. This is mainly because of economy reason and employment for airport staff, which together suggest that people should travel frequently through flights.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the disadvantages of reducing air travel, focusing on economic impacts and employment opportunities. A clear position is maintained throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas tends to be somewhat repetitive and lacks deeper extension, particularly regarding environmental benefits which are acknowledged only briefly in the introduction and conclusion without substantial counter-argument. For instance, the discussion on airport taxes and employment is relevant but remains somewhat superficial, qualifying the response for a Band 6.0 where relevant ideas are presented and supported, though certain aspects of the prompt could be more thoroughly explored.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as economic impacts versus employment opportunities. Cohesive devices are employed, including transitional phrases like 'On of the strongest arguments' and 'A further consideration'. However, cohesion is occasionally mechanical or faulty, seen in awkward linking and minor organizational hitches. Referencing is generally clear, but the logical progression within paragraphs could be smoother. These features align closely with the Band 6 descriptor, where the overall arrangement is coherent despite some mechanical or faulty cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'prevalence', 'implications', and 'employment opportunities'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and spelling throughout the response. Examples include 'travel in flights' instead of 'flights', 'non-frequent travelling impact' (grammatical error affecting lexical flow), 'Isllustrates' (spelling error), and 'flight attendents'. Furthermore, phrases like 'economy reason' lack idiomatic precision. Because the vocabulary attempts are present yet marred by spelling and word-choice errors that do not severely impede communication, the performance fits comfortably into Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and subordinate structures like 'Although reducing travel in flights has advantages, I believe that it has several drawbacks.' However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly with subject-verb agreement and prepositional use. Examples include 'non-frequent travelling impact' (should be impacts), 'in favour of not to stop flying' (should be not stopping), and 'decrease in travelling can impact finances'. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication. The control over simple sentences is decent, but complex structures often contain inaccuracies, pointing directly to a Band 6.0 score.

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

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