Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Whether decreasing the number of flying time every year or to stop flying altogether has been a widely debated issue. I would say that the atmospheric benefits of this development will outweigh the challenges for the individuals and corporations.

To begin with, there is a compelling reason why people should limit their flying time due to the carbon credit limitation for each nation. Since increasing amount of carbon emission is heavily associated with climate change, reduction in this has became an alarming issue. However, every time a flight uses a plenty of carbon credit, fuel and many more which hampers the nature. Therefore, reducing the number of flight possibly has a favourable sign in reduction of carbon emission. For instance, many nature reserachers now has limited the number of flights to keep accountable to the credits per person, as in mathematical consideration it becomes a huge number if we use a aeroplane trip to visit any specific desitination. Additionally, many substantial tech ventures like Apple has took similar initiatives to reduce carbon emission.

On the other hand, whilst this approach may have natural favour, nevertheless, many it is quite bad on some individuals and businesses. They may face complications for adapting this because many people often travel due to business purpose or individual trips. However, if there is a will, there is a way thereby. For meetings and deals, instead of vising physically they can organize a virtual meeting. As well as for travellers, they can plan a single trip per year, which would help them to reduce the carbon usage alogside their cost. Therefore, everyone would be benefited from this little but productive step.

To conclude, although there exist a disadvantage for few individuals and companies, I believe that crucial aspect is the benefit of the planet.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing the issue of reducing flights and taking a clear position that the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Ideas are extended and supported, such as mentioning carbon credits, virtual meetings, and corporate initiatives like Apple. However, there is a tendency to over-generalise in places, and some arguments lack deeper elaboration. For instance, the mention of 'carbon credit limitation for each nation' is introduced but not fully connected to how individual choices directly impact it. Despite these minor limitations, the overall task requirements are well met, earning a solid Band 6.5 to 7.0 range. We award a Band 7.0 because the main parts of the task are appropriately covered with a consistent position throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving from an introduction to arguments in favour of the environmental benefits, counter-arguments regarding businesses and individuals, and a clear conclusion. The student uses cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'For instance', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude' to guide the reader. However, some cohesive ties are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'thereby' placed at the end of a clause ('if there is a will, there is a way thereby'). Referencing is mostly clear, though paragraph transitions could be smoother. Overall, the structural flow meets the criteria for Band 6.5, leaning towards Band 7.0 due to the clear logical sequencing.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'atmospheric benefits', 'compelling reason', and 'substantial tech ventures'. However, there are noticeable word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'flying time' instead of 'air travel' or 'flights', 'increasing amount' instead of 'increasing amounts', and 'nature reserachers' with a spelling error. Phrases like 'have natural favour' and 'bad on some individuals' are awkward. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the lexical score from reaching Band 7.0. The vocabulary is sufficient for clear communication, fitting a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures such as conditional and concessive clauses ('although there exist a disadvantage...'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and awkward phrasing, including subject-verb agreement issues ('many nature reserachers now has limited', 'there exist a disadvantage'), tense inconsistencies ('has became', 'has took'), and preposition misuse ('for adapting this' instead of 'in adapting to this'). Punctuation and article use also show occasional lapses. Although these errors do not obscure the general meaning, their frequency places the grammar firmly at a Band 6.0 level.

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.