Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-04

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)

In recent years, international tourism and networking has increased dramatically with an increased demand of travelling through aeroplanes. But some people have decided to reduce the number of time they fly every year due to elevating environmental challenges. I think the environmental benefits of this benefits outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses.

Natural environment can be influenced in numerous ways through decreasing teh number of trips an aeroplane takes to flight. It can contribute to economic stability and pollution control. An aeroplane requires high operating system with a huge costly diesel to operate and fly. Additionally, the gas emission during flight is a major cause of acidic rain that has devastating effects on livestock and habitat i e; acidic rain water when enters the fields makes the soil infertile and also damages the aquatic habitat when enters in seas and oceans.

There are some cons from reducing the number of flights and these are non negotiable. International companies and delegations set meetings worldwide, therefore it is entirely difficult for them to avoid the number of flights they take in order to stay accountable for their commitments. Other individuals have families abroad so they must need to visit them annually which they can't resist. For example; a family guardian can't resist to visit his family annually to fulfil the responsibilities he carries alone on his shoulders.

In my opinion, the advantages of the development still outweigh the disadvantages because a disrupted environment can effect the whole planet It is worthful to take care of planet if we want ourselves to be safe and sound. A devastating ecosystem can disrupt the entire food chain which leads to hazardous health outcomes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your response successfully addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses, culminating in a clear overall position. Note that 9 words copied directly from the prompt were excluded from the official count. While you have covered the main aspects required by the prompt, some of your ideas are more fully developed than others. For instance, your explanation of how reduced flights benefit the environment touches upon economic stability and pollution control, but the arguments regarding business delegations and personal family visits in the third paragraph remain somewhat general and under-developed. To reach a higher level, you need to extend these ideas with more specific explanations and concrete examples rather than relying on brief assertions.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

Your essay demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a recognisable introduction, body paragraphs discussing opposing sides, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct themes, such as the environmental benefits in paragraph two and the disadvantages in paragraph three. However, the cohesion between and within sentences is occasionally mechanical or faulty. For example, transitional phrases like 'There are some cons from reducing the number of flights and these are non negotiable' feel abrupt, and referencing is not always clear, such as the ambiguous pronoun use in 'when enters in seas and oceans'. To progress further, you should aim for smoother transitions between paragraphs and ensure that cohesive devices guide the reader naturally through your logical progression of ideas without drawing attention to themselves.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You display an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less-common items such as 'international tourism', 'economic stability', and 'aquatic habitat'. However, there are noticeable vocabulary and spelling errors, as well as occasional issues with word choice and collocation that prevent you from achieving a higher score. For instance, phrases like 'a huge costly diesel' and 'it is entirely difficult' show awkward word choice, and spelling mistakes such as 'teh' for 'the' occur. Furthermore, expressions like 'the environmental benefits of this benefits' contain redundant word repetitions. To improve your lexical score, focus on precise word choice, accurate word forms, correct spelling, and natural collocations while expanding your repertoire of less common academic vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Your writing exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating that you can construct multi-clause sentences such as 'I think the environmental benefits of this benefits outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses.' However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation throughout the text. These include subject-verb agreement issues, such as 'networking has increased' and 'environment can effect', as well as article omissions and prepositions inside grammatical patterns, like 'travelling through aeroplanes' instead of 'by aeroplane'. Additionally, punctuation and fragment issues appear, such as the incomplete phrase 'habitat i e; acidic rain water'. To achieve a higher band, you need to increase your control over complex structures and reduce the frequency of grammatical errors so that your sentences are consistently accurate.

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.