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)

In recent years, many people have chosen to reduce their air travel or give it up completely. I strongly believe that the environmental benefits of this trend is outweigh its disadvantages for individual and business.

To begin with, reducing air travel can bring significant benefits to the environment. this is because when a airplane is flying in sky they release a large number of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases into the atmosphere which directly contribute to global warming and airpollution. Moreover, many birds species is also lost due to accident with airplane which also decreased population of few special breeds of birds. if people use alternative mode of transport such as buses and trains the number of carbon emimision may be reduced considrably. For example travelling by train reduce pollution because trains carry most passengers at one time Also travelling by buses contribute in reduction of pollution.

On the other hand, reducing air travel may create several difficulties for individual and business this is because air travel is one of the most fastest way to travel long distance and avoiding them can waste valuable time. Moreover many companies is depended their most of travel on airplane because of business meetings, meet clients and expand their opreations. For instance, business people who travel abroad regularly may face difficulties in maintaining professional relationships if they stop flying. Therefore, reducing air travel could negatively affect both personal convenience and economic growth.

In conclusion, although reducing air travel may cause some inconvenience to individuals and businesses, I firmly believe that its positive impact on the environment is more significant. Therefore, people should consider using alternative modes of transport whenever possible.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response 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 that the environmental advantages outweigh the drawbacks is stated in the introduction and reiterated in the conclusion. Ideas are extended with relevant examples, such as business meetings and alternative transport modes, though some points like bird species accidents are slightly underdeveloped and peripheral. However, the core requirements of the prompt are well-covered, earning a solid Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay is generally coherent with an appropriate overall arrangement, divided into clear paragraphs for introduction, environmental benefits, drawbacks, and conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are used to signpost the progression of ideas. However, referencing and cohesion can be somewhat mechanical or faulty at times, as seen in sentences starting with lowercase letters ('this is because when a airplane...') and slightly repetitive linking structures. Paragraphing is used sufficiently, but overall transitions could be smoother to achieve a higher band, placing this performance firmly at Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'environmental benefits', 'alternative mode of transport', and 'economic growth'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, including 'emimision' instead of 'emission', 'considrably', 'opreations', and the phrase 'depended their most of travel'. While these inaccuracies and spelling errors are present, they do not impede communication because the writer's meaning remains clear, which corresponds well to the Band 6.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional structures ('if people use alternative mode...') and relative clauses. However, there is a lack of control over basic grammatical accuracy. Numerous errors are present, including subject-verb agreement issues ('the environmental benefits... is outweigh', 'many companies is depended', 'many birds species is also lost'), missing capitalization at the start of sentences ('this is because'), and article usage ('a airplane'). Although these errors do not completely obscure the message, they are frequent enough to prevent the score from reaching Band 6.0, making Band 5.5 a more accurate reflection of grammatical control.

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