Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-22

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)

In recent years, an increasing number of people have chosen to reduce their air travel or stop flying altogether due to growing environmental concerns. Although this decision may create certain difficulties for individuals and businesses, I believe that its environmental benefits outweigh these disadvantages.

To begin with, less number of flights will result in greater quality of air. For instance, Delhi is the most polluted city and being surrounded by the airports makes it more deteriorating causing medical conditions and leading to high AQI. Fewer fllights can contribute to slowing global warming concerns and protecting the ecosysytems. There is an ongoing debate between government officials and Indian population to strike a balance by implementing effective strategies to control the pollution.

Whereas by limiting travel opportunities might severly impact the families and finding it harder to visit loved ones and experience different cultures. A survey was conducted by Yale University on 100 young adults living abroad for higher studies aged between 18-25 years in the year 2000. The findings stated that the students staying there are dealing with mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression and it was revealed that visiting their loved ones in some time provides him sense of security and connectedness with their roots. By limiting this it is increasing mental health concerns with the individuals. In businesses, it will reduce the job market opportunities in aviation and tourism. As a result, there will be more finanical unstability.

In conclusion, although reducing air travel may cause some inconvenience for individuals and create challenges for businesses, I believe that the environmental benefits are more significant. Therefore, encouraging people to fly less can contribute to reducing emissions and protecting the environment in the long term.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses, presenting a clear overall position that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Ideas are generally relevant, such as reduced air pollution and the emotional impacts on families separated by distance. However, some arguments lack full development or rely on unsupported sweeping assertions, such as the claim about Delhi and airport proximity. The survey example regarding Yale University is very specific, but the link back to the core argument could be clearer. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, fitting the criteria for a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6, as the position is clear and all prompt requirements are covered, though some supporting ideas remain slightly superficial.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Paragraphing is utilised appropriately to separate different facets of the debate. However, cohesion at the sentence level is occasionally faulty or mechanical. For instance, transitional phrases like 'Whereas by limiting travel opportunities might severly impact' display awkward grammatical linking. Referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'providing him sense of security' where the antecedent pronoun is confusing. Furthermore, logical progression between sentences within body paragraphs could be smoother to guide the reader effortlessly through the complex arguments presented.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to convey their main ideas about pollution, mental health, and economic impacts. There are attempts to use less common items such as 'deteriorating', 'ecosystems', and 'finanical unstability', but these are accompanied by lexical errors and spelling mistakes like 'severly', 'fllights', 'ecosysytems', and 'finanical'. Word choice and collocations are occasionally unnatural, such as 'less number of flights' instead of 'fewer flights'. While the range is sufficient to communicate the central arguments, these recurrent slips in spelling and precision restrict the score to a Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms across the essay. There are some successful complex constructions, but also a notable number of grammatical errors. Examples include fragment sentences and awkward phrasing such as 'Whereas by limiting travel opportunities might severly impact the families'. Additionally, subject-verb agreement and article usage show occasional lapses, as seen in 'greater quality of air' and 'provides him sense of security'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but grammatical inaccuracies occur frequently enough to occasionally cause the reader to pause, though they do not entirely impede communication.

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