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 come to a conclusion that in order to decrease environmental damage, they can reduce the number of times they fly or stop flying completely. Although there are undeniable advantages associated with this, but I do not think benefits overweigh disadvantages.

It is a popular belief that planes are damaging the atmosphere with fuel burn and stopping or reducing travel by air can significantly help environemnt. Despite it being true to certain a degree, there are multiple challenges and problems that are needed to be addressed first. Flying is the fastest way to get to anywhere and in fast moving world, businessess and individuals heavily rely on this mode of commute. The world is far more connected as compared to two or three decades ago. Trains or cruise ships are good alternatives, but both are significantly slower. It can take months to go from one part of globe to another without airplanes. Flying by air is not optional, but is cruicial for today's fast moving world.

Another arugment is that, cars and other mode of transportation utilize far more fuel as compared to flying. There are dozens of factors that are hurting enviornment more, for example, smoke of factories, burning of coal, cutting of trees, etc. We should focus on bigger picture and try to reduce enviournmental damage by taking concrete steps.

In conclusion, reducing the number of times some individual fly every year will not help environment much. There are some positive outcomes of this, but it is not going to overweigh the advantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses, presenting a clear position that the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. The main ideas are relevant, such as the speed of air travel and its necessity for global commerce, though some points lack sufficient elaboration. For instance, the argument comparing aviation to other pollution sources like factories is introduced briefly without deep exploration. Nevertheless, the position is maintained consistently throughout the essay, and the response successfully meets the core demands of the prompt, earning a solid Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct arguments, such as the necessity of air travel versus comparative pollution sources. However, cohesion within and between sentences is sometimes mechanical or faulty. For example, the transitional phrase 'Another arugment is that' introduces a new point, but referencing and linking devices could be more fluid and varied. Additionally, there are minor issues with logical progression between sentences. Overall, the organizational structure is clear enough to secure a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms like 'environmental damage', 'alternatives', and 'commute'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('environemnt', 'cruicial', 'arugment', 'enviornment', 'enviournment') and word choice inaccuracies, such as saying 'benefits overweigh disadvantages' instead of 'outweigh'. While the student attempts less common vocabulary, these slips and recurring typos prevent the vocabulary score from reaching a higher band. The lexical control is generally sufficient to communicate meaning without significant strain, fitting the Band 6.0 profile.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some command of grammatical structures. However, there are noticeable grammatical errors and awkward phrasings throughout the text. For example, the opening sentence contains a minor collocation error ('come to a conclusion' instead of 'reached the conclusion'), and the second sentence contains a classic double-marker error ('Although there are undeniable advantages associated with this, but I do not think'). Other errors include 'to certain a degree', 'get to anywhere', and 'some individual fly'. These errors do not seriously impede overall communication, placing the grammar performance firmly at Band 6.0.

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