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)

Some people have decided to reduce the number of trips they make in a year by the means of air or to stop flying to benefit the environment. However, in my opinion this can prove to be a negative development.

On the one hand, travelling by air saves alot of time; individuals can utilise that time in something more productive.This also saves them from strain and fatigue that may result from travelling long distances. Moreover, air travel helps businesses operate fast and make services readily available. For example, there is a vast number of stores online where products from all over the world are readily available. Orders can be placed online and products from across the world will be available to the customers at their doorstep in the matter of some days. Additionally, air travel is not the only source of pollution that may harm the environment.

On the other hand, airplanes do affect the environment by exhausting gases. These gases contain compounds that can react and result in acid rain. Furthermore, they can disturb ozone layer that may take plenty of time to recover. Although boycotting air travel may save environment but can impose drastic effects on individuals and businesses. For instance, businesses that rely on faster travel services may suffer from great losses. Additionally, travelling might become impossible for individuals with certain health conditions.

In conclusion, air travel can seriously impact environment but this impact can be reduced by precautionary measures and advanced technology. However, the drawbacks this development may impose to businesses and individuals outweigh its advantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses, ultimately establishing a clear position. The writer meets the requirements of the prompt and incorporates relevant examples, such as online shopping and global product delivery, to support the arguments. However, the response sits at this level because some ideas are more fully developed than others. While the disadvantages for businesses and personal convenience are well-reasoned, the environmental arguments, particularly regarding ozone layer disturbance, remain somewhat generalized and lack deeper elaboration. To reach a higher band, the writer needs to extend all supporting arguments with more specific, detailed explanations and examples rather than relying on brief assertions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear stance established in the introduction and reinforced in the conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with distinct bodies addressing different sides of the argument and a logical flow from air travel benefits to its environmental drawbacks. However, cohesion at times feels a bit mechanical or repetitive in the transition phrases used, such as 'On the one hand', 'Moreover', 'Additionally', and 'On the other hand'. Referencing is generally clear, but the links between sentences could be smoother to avoid a formulaic progression. To achieve a higher level of cohesion, the writer should employ a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure that the progression of ideas within paragraphs feels entirely seamless rather than structurally predictable.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, successfully conveying the writer's meaning throughout the essay. The student attempts less common vocabulary items and phrases, such as 'strain and fatigue', 'precautionary measures', and 'drastic effects', which demonstrate a reasonable breadth of lexical resource. Nevertheless, there are some minor word choice and collocation inaccuracies that prevent a higher score, such as 'by the means of air' instead of 'by air', and 'exhausting gases' instead of 'emitting greenhouse gases'. Spelling is generally accurate, and these minor lexical slips do not impede communication. To move into the higher band, the writer needs to demonstrate more precise word choices and a more flexible control of less common lexical items with native-like collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating the ability to construct conditional structures and subordinate clauses, such as 'Although boycotting air travel may save environment but can impose drastic effects'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing articles ('save environment' instead of 'save the environment') and slight structural awkwardness with conjunctions ('Although... but...'). However, these errors are relatively infrequent and rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the arguments without difficulty. To reach the next band, the writer must demonstrate a greater variety of complex structures with higher accuracy, producing a higher frequency of error-free sentences and demonstrating finer control over articles and correlative conjunctions.

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

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