Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Some people have decided to reduce the number of times the fly every year or to stop flying becuase of environmental probles. i think this development has some good benefits for the environment, but it can also create disadvantage for individuals and business.

There are several environmental benefits of reducing flights. Airplanes produce a large amount of carbon dioxide, which is one of the reasons for climate change. if people fly less, there will be less pollutions in the nair. it can also helps to rewduce the usage of fuel and other natural resources. for example people can choose trains or buses for shorter journeys instead of taking a flight. this can be a better option for the environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response is severely under-length, containing only 119 words compared to the minimum requirement of 250 words. Because of this major omission, the task cannot be fully addressed. The writer attempts to introduce a position in the introduction ('i think this development has some good benefits for the environment, but it can also create disadvantage for individuals and business') and briefly mentions environmental benefits in the second paragraph, but the disadvantages for individuals and businesses are never discussed. Consequently, the development of ideas is heavily restricted, and the response falls under the Band 4 descriptor for Task Achievement due to the minimal and incomplete nature of the task completion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The text demonstrates a basic logical organisation by separating the introduction from the body paragraph discussing environmental benefits. However, because the text is so short and incomplete, overall progression is limited. Cohesive devices are minimal and basic, featuring repetitive linking structures such as 'for example' and 'instead of'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the lack of a concluding paragraph and the missing discussion on disadvantages hinder the overall structural flow. Referencing is generally clear, but the lack of cohesive sophistication keeps the score at Band 5.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for basic communication, featuring topic-related terms such as 'carbon dioxide', 'climate change', 'fuel', and 'natural resources'. However, the range is limited, and there are noticeable errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'becuase', 'probles', 'pollutions', 'nair' (a typo for air), and 'rewduce'. The student relies heavily on simple, repetitive words and makes very few attempts at less common lexical items. These errors and the limited range align closely with the Band 5 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional structures ('if people fly less, there will be less pollutions') and relative clauses. However, basic punctuation rules are consistently ignored, particularly with capitalisation ('i think', 'for example'). There are also grammatical errors such as 'create disadvantage' (missing article/pluralisation) and 'it can also helps' (incorrect verb form). Despite these errors, the meaning is generally clear, and the control over simple sentences supports a Band 5 score.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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