Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

In recent years, some individuals took a decision of minimaxing their air travel or even stop it completely. Although this decision can create some challenges for individuals and businesses, i believe that the environmental benefits of reducing air travel are greater.

The main advantage of flying less is that it can help reduce environment damage. Air travel produces a considerable amount of greenhouse gas emission, which contribute to climate change. If fewer number of people travel by plane, the damage flights and the associated emissions could decrease. In addition, people may chose other alternative to travel for a shorter distance or domestically like trains and buses which take less fuel compared to a plane. For example, nowadays there are lot of faster trains which connects major cities and these trains are more frequent compared to before.

However, reducing air travel can have some disadvantages for individuals and businesses. People may have fewer opportunities to visit families or friends who live abroad or travel to different countries for holidays. Businesses can also be affected because international travel are often necessary for face-to-face meeting, conference or even connecting with a customer in that country. For instance, a company which operates in different countries find it difficult to build relationship and connect with employees effectively.

Despite these disadvantages, many of the difficulties can be reduced through modern technologies. Video conferencing allows businesses to communicate with international clients without travelling often, while people can use digital communication to stay in connected with friends, family and relatives overseas. Moreover, reducing unnecessary flights can contribute to long-term environmental benefits and benefits society as whole.

To conclude, flying less may limit some personal and business opportunities particularly international travel and in person interaction. Nevertheless, i believe that the environmental benefits outweigh its disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses, ultimately taking a clear position that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. The position is maintained throughout the essay. The main ideas are relevant and generally extended, such as the mention of alternative transport methods like trains and the use of video conferencing to mitigate business challenges. However, some arguments could have been further elaborated with deeper examples. For instance, the discussion on greenhouse gas emissions is somewhat general ('Air travel produces a considerable amount of greenhouse gas emission'). Overall, the task is successfully covered, placing the response solidly in Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving from an introduction of the topic and the writer's stance, to environmental advantages, disadvantages, technological solutions, and a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'In addition', 'However', 'For instance', and 'Despite these disadvantages'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately to separate distinct ideas. While referencing is generally clear, minor mechanical transitions or slightly repetitive structures prevent the essay from reaching higher band levels. Nevertheless, the overall arrangement is coherent, fully satisfying the criteria for Band 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task and attempts some less common lexical items, such as 'minimaxing', 'greenhouse gas emission', 'video conferencing', and 'long-term environmental benefits'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'took a decision of minimaxing' (instead of 'made the decision to minimise'), 'reduce environment damage' (environmental damage), 'fewer number of people' (smaller number), and 'stay in connected' (stay connected). These errors do not impede communication, and the writer demonstrates a sufficient range to allow flexibility and precision, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and relative clauses, such as 'If fewer number of people travel by plane, the damage flights and the associated emissions could decrease' and 'A company which operates in different countries find it difficult'. However, there are several grammatical errors and instances of poor agreement, such as 'international travel are often necessary' (travel is), 'find it difficult' (finds), lowercase 'i' used for the pronoun 'I', and awkward phrasing like 'the damage flights'. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, allowing the response to achieve a Band 6.

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