Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-20

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 made a decision of reducing the number of travelling through aeroplane that they do every year or stop flying altogether. In my point of view, its benefical for environment because, alot of fuel will be save for future use but it will also give some disadvantage to business men and individuals which travel for some valid reasons.

On the one hand, if people will reduce to travel through aeroplane, it will be very benefical for environment. Because, first of all, air quilty is decreasing due to fuel used in aeroplane and when people reduce using aeroplane than air quilty will not be very affected by aeroplane. Environmental pollution will start decreasing. For example, thousand of people travel through aeroplane daily which is very harmfull for air quilty. What if these numbers will reduced than air quilty will be not very much bad. So reducing the number of flying will benefical.

By the contrast, using flying method saves alot of time for people to go from one place to another. Moreover, its very heplfull in emergency situtation. People can easily met their family by travelling hrough aeroplane. For example a person live in germany for more than ten years. Now he want to meet his family . If he will not have option of aeroplane,than it will took a week or may amonth to travel and reach at home. By the invention of aeroplane all these difficulties removed and we have best solution of it.

In my opinion, aeroplane are invented for making travel easiy for us. If we cut this option than it will also affect on our life. Furthermore, a business man get alot of lose in his business if he will not use aeroplane. So we should use it for a valid purpose.

In conculsion, flying through aeroplane is not such a bad thing but we should reduce it . We just use it for valid reason or some emergency purpose. So according to my view point, disadvantages outweigh the advantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing the environmental benefits alongside the disadvantages for individuals and businesses, ultimately taking a clear position that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Ideas are generally relevant, but some points are somewhat repetitive or under-developed, particularly the explanation of business losses and family visits. For instance, the example of living in Germany lacks deep elaboration beyond stating it takes a week or a month. Furthermore, there is a slight contradiction or confusion at the end where the writer concludes that disadvantages outweigh the advantages, despite acknowledging that people should still reduce flying for valid reasons. Overall, the performance aligns well with Band 6 descriptors because it addresses all parts of the task with a clear, albeit basic, position and supported ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is divided into logical paragraphs, following an introduction, a body paragraph supporting the environmental view, a body paragraph examining the disadvantages, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'By the contrast' (though slightly unnatural phrasing), 'Moreover', and 'In conculsion'. However, referencing and cohesion are at times faulty or mechanical. For example, 'By the contrast' should be 'In contrast', and sentences occasionally feel disjointed due to repetitive use of 'aeroplane' rather than effective pronouns or synonyms. Paragraphing is present and appropriate for the structure of an essay, granting it an overall coherent arrangement despite mechanical flaws.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, but lacks variety and precision. The writer relies heavily on basic terms and repeats words like 'aeroplane', 'travel', 'quilty' (quality), and 'benefical' (beneficial). There are noticeable spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'benefical', 'alot', 'quilty', 'harmfull', 'situtation', 'met' (meet), 'easiy', and 'conculsion'. While attempts are made to use less common vocabulary like 'emergency purpose' and 'environmental pollution', inaccurate word forms and spelling errors are frequent. These errors do not completely impede communication, as the reader can still understand the intended meaning, matching the criteria for Band 5.5 to 6.0, settling safely at 5.5 due to the density of spelling and word-choice inaccuracies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and some complex sentence forms, such as conditional and relative clauses ('if people will reduce to travel through aeroplane, it will be very benefical'). However, control over grammar is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in verb tenses, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions, such as 'Some people made a decision of reducing', 'alot of fuel will be save', 'air quilty will be not very much bad', and 'a business man get alot of lose'. Punctuation is also problematic in places, with spacing errors around commas and periods. These errors occur regularly across the text, though they rarely impede the overall communication of ideas, fitting the Band 5.5 profile.

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

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