Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-29
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, the growing number of individuals have chosen to minimize their air travel or eliminate it entirely to mitigate their personal carbon footprint. While this shift introduces significant logistical challenges for businesses and personal inconveniences for travelers, I Firmly believe that long term environmental benefits far outweigh these drawbacks.
On the one hand, the aviation sector is one of the fastest growing contributors to global green house gas emissions, releasing immense volumes of carbon dioxide and nitrogen direclty into the upper atmosphere, where they causes disproportionate warming effects. Unlike localized industries, commercial flights affect global atmospheric system uniformly. For example , many parts of world tempreature is increasing gradually over the years due to the rising green house gas emisson.A widespread commitment to reducing flights would lead to an immediate and measurable drop in global carbon emmissions,playing a crucial role in curbing the catastrophic impacts of climate change such as rising sea levels and extreme weather conditions.
On the other hand, curbing aviation undeniably creates substantial hurdles for individuals and coorporation. For individuals, air travel is often the only viable method for visiting family abroad or experiencing diverse cultures. Restricting it can lead to a sense of isolation and significantly lengthen the travel time if forced to rely on other means of transportation. For the business sector, globalizations depends heavily on the speed of aviation. Restricting flights can disrupt global supply chains,hinder urgent international corporate meeting and devastate the international tourism and hospitality industries, which millions of people rely on for their livelihoods.
In conclusion, although reducing air travel imposes undeniable economic costs on businesses and limits personal mobility, the survival of the global ecosystem is far more critical priority. Because alternative technologies can alleviate most of the practical drawbacks, the environmental necessity of reducing aviation clearly outweighs the disadvantages.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
The response fully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses, presenting a clear position throughout. The writer's stance is introduced in the first paragraph ('I Firmly believe that long term environmental benefits far outweigh these drawbacks') and maintained consistently. Ideas are well developed with relevant examples, such as the mention of global supply chains and atmospheric warming effects. The arguments are extended effectively across paragraphs, showing a strong understanding of the prompt's complexities without significant omissions. While some generalisations are made regarding temperature increases and corporate meetings, the overall treatment of the topic is robust and well-reasoned, fully satisfying the requirements for Band 7.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The essay demonstrates clear logical organisation and progression throughout. It is divided into four well-structured paragraphs, featuring a clear introduction, two distinct body paragraphs representing opposing views, and a concise conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand' to signpost contrasting arguments. However, there are some minor mechanical issues with spacing and punctuation around transitional phrases (e.g., 'For example , many parts...'). Paragraphing and referencing are generally well managed, ensuring the reader can follow the writer's line of thought easily, corresponding to a solid Band 7 performance.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary that allows for some flexibility and precision, employing terms such as 'mitigate', 'disproportionate warming effects', and 'viable method'. Less common lexical items are attempted with some awareness of style and collocation, although there are a few spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'green house' (should be greenhouse), 'direclty', 'tempreature', 'emisson', and 'coorporation'. Despite these occasional inaccuracies, the vocabulary is adequate for the task and does not impede communication, placing the response comfortably within the Band 6 territory.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating conditional structures and participial clauses effectively. There are frequent error-free sentences, such as 'For individuals, air travel is often the only viable method for visiting family abroad...' However, a number of grammatical and punctuation errors persist, including capitalisation issues ('Firmly'), subject-verb agreement slips ('where they causes'), missing commas, and spacing errors. While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede communication, demonstrating a level of control consistent with Band 6 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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