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)

The outgrowing environmental concerns have become a significant subject of discussion in recent years. Some people have made this commitment to fly less in a year and some even have stopped flying in order to protect our ecosystem. I personally believe that this practice does not provide enough benefits that can outweigh the disadvantages that this may cause to both individuals and businesses.

One of the reasons why I think that flying less or not is not advantageous is because of the negative impacts that individuals might get from it. lasting effects towards the economical decline. Although this approach can protect our environment, it may cause severe mobility issues to people who need to travel abroad for their professional prospects. For example, professionals like senior doctors who have to conduct or take part in international conferences might lose valuable opportunities, which might be useful for their successful future. Therefore, this idea of not travelling by air makes this approach impractical.

Another main belief of rejecting this idea is because of its lasting negative impacts towards the economical decline. I agree with the fact that this method might help with alleviating the increasing climate changes, but economical businesses that run solely on flying will end up having significant losses. For instance, a great economical revenue generator such as cargos will not only trouble individuals but also make a profound negative impact on the overall economical values of a country.

To conclude this, travelling by planes is a need of time that not only benefits people but has a great consolidation for businesses around the world. The view that using planes less or even not at all, does not provide enough evidence that can outweigh its disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task and presents a clear, consistent position throughout: the writer believes that the environmental benefits do not outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses. The introduction clearly states this stance. Body paragraph one explores the disadvantages for individuals, specifically regarding mobility and professional opportunities, supported by an example of senior doctors. Body paragraph two discusses economic impacts on businesses. While the ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, some supporting points feel slightly repetitive in their phrasing regarding economic decline. Overall, the task is addressed competently, satisfying the requirements for a Band 6.5 or 7.0, and is best placed at Band 6.0 due to some under-development and slight repetitiveness in the argumentation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'One of the reasons why', 'Another main belief', and 'To conclude this'. However, some cohesive devices and referencing feel a bit mechanical or awkward, such as starting the second paragraph with 'lasting effects towards the economical decline' which appears as an isolated phrase fragment. Additionally, the phrase 'Another main belief of rejecting this idea is because of its lasting negative impacts' is slightly clumsy. Progression is visible, but the flow is occasionally interrupted by awkward transitions. Therefore, this fits the Band 6 descriptor well.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'ecosystem', 'professional prospects', and 'alleviating'. However, there are notable lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations throughout the text. For instance, the opening phrase 'The outgrowing environmental concerns' is unnatural; 'growing' or 'increasing' would be more appropriate. Furthermore, the writer repeatedly uses 'economical' where 'economic' is required (e.g., 'economical decline', 'economical businesses', 'economical revenue'). The term 'cargos' is also used incorrectly as a mass or generic revenue generator rather than cargo transport. These word choice errors prevent the score from reaching a higher band, keeping it firmly at Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over sentence structure with relative clauses and conditional structures. However, grammatical errors and awkward syntax are frequent. For example, the sentence fragment 'lasting effects towards the economical decline.' stands alone without a proper subject or verb. There are also issues with preposition use and redundancy, such as 'Some people have made this commitment to fly less in a year and some even have stopped flying'. While communication is not severely impeded and the meaning remains clear, the frequency of structural and mechanical errors places this response at a Band 5.5.

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

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