Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Some people have decided to shorten the number of their travel through flight or not to fly completely. In my opinion, the advantage of this trend significantly overwiegh the drawbacks because it will reduce the environmental damage through fuel burn and will fascilitate people to deal their work online.

First of all, airplanes are massive transport vehicles and consume more fuel than any other transportable machine. These machines run by the burning of fuel which pollutes the atmosphere at a large scale. By reducing their usage will directly benefit the air. As a result, our ecosystem will heal. For instance, shorter usage of airplanes will result into less consumption of fuel and when it will not be burnt, the environment will remain clean.

Secondary to this factor, the people who deal with work related to business in or outside the country can handle their work online or can hold a meeting on the internet instead of traveling by air and be present at the site. Consequently, they will save their time and put it on additional work. For example, if a person attends a business meeting online rather than traveling to another city or country will save a great amount of time which he could use in other things

In conclusion, I firmly believe that on reducing the number of times people travel by taking a flight will benefit the environment and save fuel. Furthermore, the amount of time a flight takes for unecessary traveling will be saved by acquiring a smart approach.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The student addresses all parts of the prompt, taking a clear position that the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Main ideas are introduced, such as fuel reduction and the transition to online business meetings. However, the development of these ideas tends to be repetitive, relying on circular reasoning rather than bringing in fresh, well-supported arguments. For instance, the discussion on fuel consumption repeats similar phrases across sentences rather than extending the point with substantive examples. Despite this tendency to over-generalise and lack deep extension, a clear stance is maintained throughout, fitting the Band 6 profile for this criterion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'First of all,' 'Secondary to this factor,' and 'In conclusion,' though some transitions feel a bit mechanical and unnatural. Referencing is generally clear, but there are instances of clunky linking that slightly disrupt the flow. Progression is visible, moving from environmental impacts to business efficiency, although repetition within the body paragraphs occasionally stalls the forward movement of ideas, placing the response solidly in the Band 6 range.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the student to convey basic arguments about the environment and business meetings. There are attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'ecosystem,' 'atmosphere,' and 'consumption.' However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors, including 'overwiegh' instead of 'outweigh,' 'fascilitate' instead of 'facilitate,' and 'unecessary' instead of 'unnecessary.' Furthermore, collocation is occasionally awkward, such as 'deal their work' or 'put it on additional work.' Because these lexical errors do not impede communication, the performance aligns with Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and conditional structures, such as 'if a person attends a business meeting online rather than traveling to another city or country will save a great amount of time...'. However, this sentence lacks a main subject for the main clause. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout, such as 'shorten the number of their travel through flight' and 'By reducing their usage will directly benefit the air.' While errors are frequent, they do not completely obscure meaning, permitting a Band 5.5 score.

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