Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-09-30

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 individuals have decided to decrease the number of flight over a period of time instead of stop entirely. I strongly believe that it is beneficial for perserving the ecosystem and environment to reduce the number of flight.

One major advantage of reducing air travel is the reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions. Airplanes consume large amounts of fossil fuels, contributing significantly to climate change. If more people choose alternatives such as trains, buses, or video conferencing, fewer flights will be required, which can help reduce overall carbon emissions.

However, reducing flights can cause difficulties for both individuals and businesses. For individuals, travelling by air is often the fastest and most convenient way to visit distant countries, see relatives, or enjoy holidays. Limiting flights could therefore reduce people's opportunities for international travel and cultural experiences. Businesses may also suffer because face-to-face meetings, international conferences, and overseas operations often depend on air travel. Companies that rely heavily on tourism and aviation could experience lower revenues and job losses if demand for flights declines substantially.

In conclusion, reducing the frequency of air travel may create inconvenience for individuals and economic challenges for some businesses. Nevertheless, the resulting reduction in environmental damage makes this development beneficial overall, particularly when people and companies replace unnecessary flights with more sustainable alternatives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing both the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses. However, there is a minor contradiction in the introduction regarding whether people are reducing or stopping flights entirely. The main ideas are relevant and supported with logical arguments, such as greenhouse gas emissions and economic impacts on tourism. Unfortunately, the task requirement specifies a minimum of 250 words, and this response contains only 214 words. Because it falls short of the length requirement, the development of ideas is somewhat constrained, preventing it from reaching a higher band score under Task Achievement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a clear overall progression. It is divided into four standard paragraphs: an introduction, a body paragraph supporting the environmental benefits, a body paragraph detailing the disadvantages, and a concluding summary. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to guide the reader through the arguments, such as "One major advantage," "However," and "In conclusion." Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately to separate distinct themes, meaning the overall structure remains logical and easy to follow despite the short length of the response.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, incorporating topic-specific terms like "greenhouse-gas emissions," "fossil fuels," "carbon emissions," and "sustainable alternatives." There are some minor lexical inaccuracies, such as writing "number of flight" instead of "flights" and "perserving" instead of "preserving." Despite these minor errors, the vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate the main ideas clearly without causing significant difficulty for the reader.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as conditional clauses ("If more people choose alternatives...") and participial phrases. There are a few noticeable grammatical and mechanical errors, notably spelling mistakes like "perserving" and grammatical slips like "decrease the number of flight." However, the majority of the sentences are grammatically sound, and the structural errors are minor enough that they do not impede overall communication.

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