Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-03

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)

The growing flight accidents and awareness to the threat airways cause to the environment, some individuals choose to lower the frequency of their airplane trips or to completely end flying. I believe the long-term environmental benefits outweigh the short-term traveling inconveniences.

Airways sector have been recorded to be the highest in fuel consumption in a very short time compared to other ways of transport. Reduction in the number of trips can lower the rate of fuel emmissions which cuts the amount of greenhouse gasses trapped in the atmosphere which leads to rise in the heat index. Lesser flights per year minimizes lower carbon dioxide emmissions, which subsequently reduces the rate of climate change. Moreover, fewer planes means less fossil fuels utilized which preserves the depletion of natural resources. For instance, fossil fuel scarcity had caused people to shift to electric automotives which do not work as effectively as fuel does. Reduced airway trips can help fuel run vehicles to run for prolonged period.

On the other hand, reduced flying trips means people have to choose slower transport options like trains and busses which take double the amount of time to reach the destination. International trips between continents become much difficult and longer by seaways, leading to reduction in travel and tourism. Furthermore, this leads to a lot of economic imbalance not only in the tourism sector but also in industrial and multi-national sectors making it difficult to commute for people who depend on faster traveling to attend important meetings frequently. I believe these problems are temporary in front of all the environmental benefits in the long run, which once perished cannot be acquired again.

In conclusion, total ban on airways cannot be possible in the ever growing global economy, although better train networks and roadways can improve the situation but cannot be the only solution. Controlled measures needs to be implemented with bringing awareness in people along with keeping checks on annual fuel consumption, to revert back to better environmental conditions.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task and presents a clear overall position regarding the environmental benefits outweighing the disadvantages. For instance, the introduction clearly states your stance, and you discuss both environmental impacts and economic consequences. However, some ideas are more fully developed than others. The discussion surrounding environmental benefits is fairly well extended with points on fuel consumption and natural resources, but the counter-arguments regarding economic imbalance and industrial sectors remain somewhat general and lack specific examples. To reach a higher level, you should ensure that all main points—especially the disadvantages for individuals and businesses—are fully expanded with more precise details or concrete illustrations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

Your essay demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a clear logical progression throughout the paragraphs. You use appropriate paragraphing to separate the introduction, environmental arguments, disadvantages, and conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader, such as 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, cohesion is occasionally mechanical or slightly faulty, as seen in referencing and transitions between sentences, such as 'this leads to a lot of economic imbalance' where the exact antecedent is slightly broad. To achieve a higher standard, you could make the transitions smoother and integrate cohesive devices more naturally without relying on formulaic transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You display an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'fuel consumption', 'greenhouse gasses', and 'economic imbalance'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and word form that reflect a Band 6 level. For example, phrases like 'growing flight accidents' do not fit standard collocations in this context, and you wrote 'emmissions' with an extra 'm' and 'automotives' instead of 'automobiles'. Additionally, expressions like 'in front of all the environmental benefits' are unnatural. To improve, focus on mastering natural collocations and precise word choices while refining your spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and relative clauses throughout the essay. However, there are some persistent errors in grammar and punctuation. For instance, subject-verb agreement issues appear, such as 'Airways sector have been recorded' instead of 'has been recorded', and missing or incorrect articles occur, such as 'leads to rise in the heat index' and 'much difficult'. You also have punctuation and phrasing slips like 'Controlled measures needs to be implemented'. These errors rarely impede communication, keeping you comfortably at the current level, but to progress further, you need to eliminate basic agreement and article errors while producing a higher frequency of error-free complex structures.

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