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)

Some peoples have decided to reduce the taken number of times, they are fly each years or to stop together their collegues and relative. I have discuess about the environmental benefits of this development outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses.

One significant disadvantage is the impact on individual freedom and convenience. Air travel is often the fastest and most practical way to travel long distances. People who reduce their flights may have to use trains, buses or cars, which can make journeys considerably longer. This could be particularly inconvenient for those who need to visit family members who live abroad. For example, an individual travelling from India to Europe may find that avoiding flights makes the journey much more complicated and time-consuming. In addition, tourism-related businesses could lose customers if fewer people are willing to travel by air. Hotels, airlines, travel agencies and restaurants in tourist destinations may therefore experience reduced income.

Despite these drawbacks, reducing air travel can provide substantial environmental advantages. Aircraft consume large quantities of fossil fuels and produce greenhouse-gas emissions, contributing to climate change. If a large number of people choose to take fewer flights, the overall demand for aviation fuel could decrease. This could also encourage governments and companies to invest more heavily in alternatives such as high-speed rail and cleaner forms of transportation. For instance, travelling by train instead of taking a short domestic flight can provide a more environmentally friendly option while still allowing people to reach their destinations relatively quickly.

Furthermore, the effects could extend beyond individual travellers. Businesses can increasingly use video conferencing and other digital communication technologies instead of requiring employees to travel for every meeting. Although face-to-face meetings remain valuable in some circumstances, many routine business trips can be replaced by online meetings. This could reduce both travel costs and environmental impacts at the same time.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the disadvantages and environmental benefits of reducing air travel, formulating a clear position. The main body paragraphs provide relevant and well-developed arguments regarding personal freedom, tourism, fossil fuel reduction, and corporate video conferencing. For example, the explanation of how individuals travelling from India to Europe face increased complications is a concrete and relevant supporting detail. However, the introduction contains severe issues: the opening sentence ("Some peoples have decided to reduce the taken number of times, they are fly each years or to stop together their collegues and relative") is largely garbled and incoherent, failing to properly frame the task. Despite this shaky start, the subsequent body paragraphs recover well and develop the prompt's themes adequately, warranting a band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with clear logical progression between paragraphs. Each body paragraph focuses on a distinct sub-topic, moving logically from disadvantages for individuals and tourism to environmental advantages and business alternatives. Cohesive devices are used effectively to guide the reader, such as "One significant disadvantage," "Despite these drawbacks," and "Furthermore." Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, separating the introductory thoughts from the distinct analytical points. However, referencing and cohesion at the very beginning of the essay are faulty, notably in the first paragraph where the opening sentence lacks logical flow and connectivity. Because the body paragraphs demonstrate clear logical organization and progression despite the weak opening, the response comfortably aligns with band 6.5.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as "fossil fuels," "greenhouse-gas emissions," and "video conferencing." Appropriate collocation is achieved in several places, including "practical way to travel long distances" and "tourism-related businesses." However, there are notable lexical and word-choice errors, especially in the opening paragraph where terms like "taken number of times" and "stop together their collegues and relative" reflect severe misuse of vocabulary. Additionally, spelling and morphological errors such as "peoples" and "discuess" occur at the outset. While the vocabulary in the body paragraphs is sufficiently flexible and precise, the lexical errors and unnatural phrasings at the beginning prevent the essay from reaching a higher band, placing it firmly at a band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures such as "People who reduce their flights may have to use trains..." and "If a large number of people choose to take fewer flights, the overall demand... could decrease." However, the grammatical accuracy is severely undermined by the opening sentence, which contains multiple glaring errors ("Some peoples have", "they are fly each years", "I have discuess about"). Within the body paragraphs, grammar and punctuation are generally well-controlled, with many error-free sentences allowing smooth communication of ideas. The contrast between the heavily flawed opening and the reasonably accurate body paragraphs results in a mixed profile that best fits the band 5.5 descriptor, where frequent errors in certain sections balance out successful complex structures elsewhere.

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