Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

In recent years, people have decided to reduce the number of times they fly every year, which has become increasingly common in many parts of the world. While this development offers certain advantages, it has also some notable drawbacks. This essay will examine both sides of the issue before arguing that the advantages of reducing flight numbers outweigh its disadvantages.

There are several significant advantages associated with the environment by declining the number of flights. The most prominent one is that significant rising of pollution in the atmosphere can be reduced by lowering the flights. This is mainly because an aeroplane releases a large amount of harmful gases. For example, celebrities buy their private jets, which is also an important issue, so these private jets should be banned. As a result, pollution stuff can be decreased. Another notable benefit is that the use of enhanced digital technology can be taken by online meetings. Therefore, it is evident that a less number of flights can have a positive impact on the environment.

However, reducing the number of flights is not without its drawbacks. One major concern is that international brands need the flights on a daily basis, but after the reduction, they can face the loss. Consequently, despite reducing the numbers for businessmen, it should be limited to those people who travel more than one or two times on holidays. Nevertheless, these drawbacks are relatively less significant when compared with the long-term benefits of the ecosystem.

In conclusion, although the number of flights can lead to certain disadvantages, I believe that its advantages, especially significant decline in air pollution and considerable less plane crash, are more substantial. Therefore, the benefits of this development outweigh its drawbacks overall.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses, maintaining a clear position throughout. The introduction outlines the writer's stance, which is supported in the body paragraphs. However, some ideas are underdeveloped or lack adequate general extension. For instance, the mention of celebrity private jets is a specific, narrow example rather than a broad societal view, and the discussion regarding international brands facing losses is somewhat brief and tangential when introducing business exemptions. Despite these minor limitations, the main arguments are relevant and the task prompt is satisfactorily addressed overall, leading to a solid Band 6.5 performance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a logical overall progression with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas, such as environmental benefits versus business drawbacks. Cohesive devices are generally present, with transition markers like "While this development", "The most prominent one", "For example", and "In conclusion" guiding the reader through the text. However, referencing and cohesion occasionally feel a bit mechanical or awkward, such as the phrase "the use of enhanced digital technology can be taken by online meetings," which weakens the flow and clarity of connection. Overall, the logical structure and clear organization align well with the expectations of Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating an attempt to incorporate less common items and topic-specific terminology such as "atmosphere", "enhanced digital technology", and "ecosystem". However, there are notable instances of imprecise word choice, awkward phrasing, and collocation errors, such as "declining the number of flights", "significant rising of pollution", "pollution stuff", and "a less number of flights". While these lexical inaccuracies occasionally cause slight strain or awkwardness for the reader, communication is never impeded. The student possesses a sufficient range of vocabulary to express basic points, but lexical control restricts the score to a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures throughout the essay. There is an attempt at variety with structures like "While this development offers certain advantages..." and "Consequently, despite reducing the numbers for businessmen...". However, frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing are present, such as "it has also some notable drawbacks" (missing auxiliary or incorrect structure), "a less number of flights" (incorrect quantifier usage), and "considerable less plane crash" (grammatical mismatch). Although these errors do not severely impede overall communication, they occur regularly enough to prevent the response from achieving a higher band, making Band 6.0 the most appropriate assessment.

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

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