Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-19

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)

In the past, travel by flying is not very common due to limitation of facility and most of the people fell under poor category as they were not earn very well because of limited opportunity. At present, table turned and maximum numbers of people have their business and high paying jobs which allow them to travel by flight. However, many people think to dropped the idea of often traveling by air or completely oppose to travel by flight.

To bolster my opinion, i would say that there are many reason to stop flying by air and help environment to be clean & pollution free. As we know huge amount of jet fuel required to fly a plane because of that air quality index increasing and it will also affect the global warming situation. To minimize this situation we have used to travel by locally, by electric vehicle, by public transport which carry more people at a same time to one place to another.

However, businessmen who have to travel overseas to deal with global client does not have another option rather then flying in such case they need to travel in commercial plane instead of using private jet plane, this one action can also saves the fuel as well as environment to being pollute. We do not have to stop flying completely but whenever required we have to prior the travel with commercial flights.

In conclusion, people can not stop flying completely due to several personal & business related reasons. however, they can use recourses which create low pollution they plane and help to save environment and promote green energy.

AI examiner evaluation

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. A position is presented, though the development of ideas is somewhat limited and generalized. For instance, the writer mentions that jet fuel increases air pollution and global warming, and contrasts this with the needs of businessmen who must travel overseas. However, these points remain underdeveloped and lack specific examples. While the writer covers both sides of the argument and concludes that a complete halt to flying is impractical, the arguments lack depth and the overall structure required for a higher band. Nevertheless, all parts of the prompt are addressed to a competent degree, fulfilling the criteria for a Band 5.5 to 6.0, settling appropriately at Band 6.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is divided into four paragraphs, showing an attempt at a logical structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, the overall progression is frequently hindered by awkward transitions and weak cohesive devices. For example, expressions like 'To bolster my opinion, i would say' and 'table turned' feel unnatural and fail to link ideas smoothly. Paragraphing is present, but internal cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical, such as the run-on sentence structure in the second body paragraph ('To minimize this situation we have used to travel by locally...'). Referencing is occasionally unclear, which places the response securely in the Band 5.0 range, where organization is present but lacks clear and fluid overall progression.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate basic ideas about travel, pollution, and business. However, there is a lack of precision, and frequent word-choice and collocation errors appear throughout the text. Examples include 'fell under poor category', 'table turned', and 'prior the travel with commercial flights'. The writer attempts less common vocabulary such as 'environmental benefits' and 'global warming', but these are offset by basic errors and repetitive phrasing. Spelling mistakes are also present ('recourses' instead of 'resources'). This performance aligns with the Band 5.0 descriptors, showing a limited but minimally adequate range with noticeable errors that occasionally strain the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but grammatical accuracy is weak throughout. There are frequent errors in verb tense, agreement, and prepositions, such as 'travel by flying is not very common' (tenses mismatch), 'they were not earn very well', and 'does not have another option rather then flying'. Many complex sentence structures are faulty, containing comma splices and missing articles. For instance, the sentence starting with 'At present, table turned and maximum numbers of people...' exhibits multiple structural issues. Although communication is not entirely impeded, the high frequency of basic and complex grammatical errors prevents the essay from reaching a Band 6.0, placing it firmly at Band 5.0.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.