Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-17
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 5.0)
Some people have decided to reduce the number of times they fly every year or to stop flying altogether. This action tells us how much sensible that individual is, but there are alot of disadvantages considering this matter.
The amount of negative impact it will have on business is immeasurale. In this world the most valuable currency is time and this is the only thing that doesn't return when it's gone. Almost everyone knows the importance of time especially the one's doing buisnesses. If we consider it's imact on large scale then it's even more frightening. Alot of nations depend on import and export which involves transportation of goods in huge quantities. Even if we don't consider flying then shipping through huge ships will be taken into account. I think flying is safer for enviroment as compared to huge cargo ships because it not only pollutes the air but also the water, which also indangers the aquatic life.
We have to take adequate steps in order to keep the enviroment clean and make sure that every other things is running smoothly too. By stopping flying helps the enviroment but it definetly does not outweigh the disadvantages for individuals
and buisnesses.
About 2 months ago, I was coming back from my university and on the way I saw a car releasing black smoke. I was on my bike and was right behing that vehicle. It was so hard to breath during the whole journey. We should first take these small things into account then move to something bigger to make the enviroment clean.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing whether the environmental benefits of reducing air travel outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses. However, the development of ideas is limited and somewhat superficial. For instance, the discussion on time and business is brief, and the sudden shift to personal anecdotes about a smoking car in the final paragraph detracts from the central argument. While a clear position is stated that disadvantages outweigh benefits, the reasoning tends to over-generalise and lacks robust support. Nevertheless, all parts of the prompt are touched upon, earning a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement, but paragraphing and logical progression are weak in places. The second paragraph is overly long and crams multiple distinct ideas together, ranging from business time constraints to cargo ships and water pollution. Cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or misused, as seen with transitional phrases like 'If we consider it's imact on large scale'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the progression from global travel issues down to a random local anecdote about a car lacks smooth logical transition. Overall, the structural control aligns best with a Band 5.0.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, but contains noticeable spelling and word choice errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples of spelling errors include 'alot', 'immeasurable', 'imact', 'buisnesses', 'enviroment', 'indangers', and 'behings'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive, relying on basic terms with frequent slips. While meaning remains generally clear, the density of lexical errors prevents the response from reaching Band 6.0, placing it firmly at a Band 5.0 level.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but frequent grammatical errors are present throughout the text. Examples include 'how much sensible that individual is', 'especially the one's doing buisnesses', 'which also indangers', and 'By stopping flying helps'. Punctuation and article usage also show recurrent inaccuracies. Although these errors rarely completely impede communication, they occur with high frequency and affect readability, demonstrating the characteristics of a Band 5.0 performance.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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