Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-24

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 the context of today's world, it is popular among a considerable number of people to travel through airways. Nevertheless, numerous people are accepting to reduce the number of time they fly every year or stop altogether, aiming to reduce environmental harm. In the era of growing climate awareness, this bring challenges for individuals besides its environmental benefits be outweigh by individuals and business.

On the one hand, reducing air travel can have a significant impact on the environment. Airplanes emits carbon emission and greenhouse gases which directly affect the climate change. Instead of using airways for shorter distance, we can make use of trains, buses and cars. Here are so many alternatives that can protect the environment. For example, if we are travelling from one city to another, we can operate our personal vehicles. This minor change can also assit in the conservation of environment.

On the other hand, terminating air travel can impact hugely on businesses and individuals. They cannot perform their official work or businees work if it is necessary to move abroad. For instance, if a person get business proposal from another country, he cannot simply go through bus or any other vehicles. Consequently, aviation is crucial. It results on individuals future goals. Additionally, many businesses rely heavily on flights to attend international meetings, visit clients and establish partnership. If business travel is significantly restricted, companies may lose valuable opportunities to communicate and expand their markets. Although, online meetings can replace some trips, they cannot completely provide the same experience as face-to-face communication.

In conclusion, while reducing air travel can help decrease carbon emission and protect the environment, I believe its detrimental for individuals and businesses are greater.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the environmental benefits of reducing air travel and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses, maintaining a clear position throughout that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Ideas are generally well-supported with examples, such as business proposals and international meetings. However, some arguments lack full extension and suffer from minor generalisations. The response meets the core requirements of the task effectively, aligning well with the Band 6.5 to 7.0 profile. Because the ideas are presented clearly with a recognizable position, a score of 6.5 is awarded, reflecting solid development with minor limitations in depth.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure, utilizing standard introductory, body, and concluding paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used to signal logical progression, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and cohesion are occasionally faulty or mechanical, as seen in awkward transitions like 'this bring challenges' and 'Here are so many alternatives'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, but the flow between sentences could be smoother to reach a higher band. Overall, the logical progression is clear enough to satisfy the Band 6 descriptors comfortably.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'climate awareness', 'conservation of environment', and 'establish partnership'. However, there are noticeable word-choice errors and awkward collocations throughout the text, such as 'travel through airways', 'number of time', 'business work', and 'its detrimental for individuals'. Spelling and word-formation errors, like 'assit' instead of 'assist', also occur. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to Band 6.0, as the vocabulary lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer employs a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at conditional structures and relative clauses. However, there are frequent grammatical errors in tense consistency, subject-verb agreement, and prepositions, such as 'this bring challenges', 'Airplane emits carbon emission', 'if a person get', and 'It results on individuals future goals'. Punctuation is generally acceptable, but grammatical inaccuracies occur with enough frequency to impact the overall control of complex structures. The majority of simple sentences are clear, but the frequency of errors places this response firmly at Band 6.0.

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