Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-26

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 6.5)

In order to prevent environmental degradation, some people have taken the decision to reduce their air-travel every year or to completely end it altogether. I believe the benefit it brings to the environment outweights the disadvantages this decision bring to businesses and individuals. This is mainly because there is no solution to reverse the damages caused by pollutants in the environment, but there are solutions present to solve travelling problems for individuals and enterprises.

Reducing air-travel will help in reducing the number of pollutants present in the atmosphere. This is because when aeroplane fuel is burnt, it releases carbondioxide which increases global warming. This results in increased temperatures that disturbs the whole ecosystem, which in turn, causes a chain of natural disasters like floods. Furthermore, small piston planes uses a kind of fuel which, when burnt, releases toxic lead into the atmosphere that is extremely harmful for all organisms. Such kind of substances are very difficult to remove from our atmosphere and can cause irreversible damage to human health.

A disadvantage of this decision is that it can impact different businesses, but as far as individuals are concerned, they won't be affected much. These problems are not as such that cannot have an alternative. Nowadays, businesses are mainly functioning online. Business officals can travel via aeroplane, rather than jets, only when the meeting is important and requires their presence. As far as indivduals are concerned, they should travel by other means of transporation, like train or car, if their destination is close and they can afford it. But if the destination is quite far away, travelling by air is probably fine, as it is a facility provided to aid them.

Overall, I believe that this decision of reducing the air-travel has more pros than cons. This is mainly because this development can prevent the long-term negative effect of the pollutants on the environment, which causes irreversible damages. Whereas, problems faced by business and indivduals can be catered to and can be solved via alternatives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the environmental benefits of reducing air travel and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses, presenting a clear overall position that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. The introduction and conclusion clearly state this stance, and body paragraphs present logical arguments. However, the development of ideas could be extended further. For instance, the discussion on business impacts briefly mentions online meetings and alternative travel, but lacks deeper expansion or concrete examples of how specific industries might suffer. The point about small piston planes introducing toxic lead is an interesting specific detail, though slightly tangential to commercial passenger flight reductions, but overall the response clearly meets the requirements for a Band 6.5 to 7.0 range, securing a solid Band 7.0 for fully addressing the prompt with a clear position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus: introduction, environmental benefits, counterarguments regarding businesses and individuals, and the conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'This is mainly because', and 'Overall' are used effectively to guide the reader through the argument. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct themes. While referencing and substitution are generally clear, occasional awkward phrasing in transitions (such as 'These problems are not as such that cannot have an alternative') slightly disrupts the natural flow, preventing a higher score, but the structure remains thoroughly coherent and easy to follow, aligning well with Band 7.0 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully employing terms like 'environmental degradation', 'ecosystem', 'irreversible damage', and 'pollutants'. There are occasional spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'outweights' instead of 'outweighs', 'carbondioxide' as one word, and 'transporation' instead of 'transportation'. Furthermore, phrases like 'end it altogether' or 'travel via aeroplane, rather than jets' show slight lexical awkwardness or repetition. Despite these minor inaccuracies, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey precise meanings clearly without impeding communication, fitting the Band 6.5 descriptor well, rounded to a 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional-like clauses and subordinate clauses (e.g., 'if their destination is close and they can afford it'). There are several grammatical errors and awkward constructions present, such as 'some people have taken the decision to reduce their air-travel every year' (unnatural collocation for frequency), 'small piston planes uses' (subject-verb agreement error), and 'Such kind of substances' (should be 'Such substances' or 'This kind of substance'). Punctuation and articles are occasionally mismanaged. However, these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains clear throughout, making Band 6.0 an accurate reflection of the student's grammatical control.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.