Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Some individuals have planned to lower their number of flights taken annually while some have completely stopped flying altogether. In my opinion, advantages of flying in aeroplanes such as faster travel and comfortable ride can definitely outweigh the drawbacks.

To begin with, one of the major drawbacks of flying is the large amount of carbon emitted in the environment. It can seriously damage the environment and atmosphere of the Earth. As carbon is a very harmful element, exposure to excessive carbon can greatly affect lives of living creatures. For example, it is reported that flying aircrafts have increased the carbon percentage in the atmosphere by 8% in the last 20 years.

Nevertheless, the benefits of this technology is substantial. First and foremost, flying makes people live so much more comfortable. As there are no traffic in the air that can dely the aeroplace, it is far more convenient that travelling by road. Various services are also provided during flying such as foods and blankets.

In addition to this, it is comparatively far less time consuming than any other transports. As plane travel at a much faster speed as compared to other transport, it is most preferred by people. For instance, while travelling from one country to another, people might even need to change various transports such as ships and railways which is much of a hassle and much more time consuming.

To conclude, while the primary disadvantage of aircraft technology is the environmental pollution by carbon emission, the benefits namely, time saving and more comfortable ride strongly outweigh it. Therefore, i firmly believe that the overall merits surpass the drawbacks of flying.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the environmental disadvantages alongside the personal and business benefits of flying. The student takes a clear position in the introduction and reiterates it in the conclusion, arguing that the advantages outweigh the drawbacks. Ideas are generally relevant, but the development leans heavily on generalisations and lacks specific, well-supported examples for business impacts. While the environmental aspect is mentioned, the counter-arguments regarding the severity of climate change are only superficially explored. The arguments for time-saving and comfort are adequately presented, yet they remain somewhat repetitive. Overall, all parts of the prompt are addressed, fulfilling the requirements for Band 6.0 under Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a clear overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas. Paragraphing is utilised appropriately, with an introduction, distinct body paragraphs for contrasting points, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed to connect ideas, such as 'To begin with', 'Nevertheless', and 'In addition to this', although some transitions feel a bit mechanical or repetitive in structure. Referencing is generally clear, as seen in the phrase 'this technology', which successfully links back to the concept of flying. While the overall flow is coherent, the somewhat formulaic use of cohesive ties and occasional minor lapses in logical transition place this response firmly at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'carbon emitted', 'convenient', 'time consuming', and 'environmental pollution'. There are some successful attempts to use less common vocabulary, but these are occasionally marred by word-choice or collocation errors, such as 'flying aircrafts' instead of 'aircraft flights' or 'comfortable ride' used alongside 'make people live so much more comfortable'. Spelling is generally accurate, though minor grammatical-lexical slips occur (e.g., 'dely' instead of 'delay', 'aeroplace' instead of 'aeroplane'). Because the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate meaning despite these inaccuracies, a score of 6.0 is appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional and comparative forms like 'As plane travel at a much faster speed as compared to other transport, it is most preferred by people.' However, there are notable grammatical errors throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('plane travel' instead of 'planes travel', 'benefits of this technology is' instead of 'are'), article omissions ('There are no traffic'), and lowercase capitalisation on the pronoun 'i' in the final paragraph. Although these errors do not impede overall comprehension and communication, their frequency prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. A score of 6.0 reflects this mix of structures alongside persistent non-systematic errors.

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