Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-05

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)

There is a argument about whether the decision of individuals to reduce or stop flying have any significant positive impact on environment. Although, this idea can create problem for other people and few businesses like aviation, I certainly believe that the advantages from this move definitely outweighs the disadvantages.

The constant flying of individuals creates more workload on airplanes, therby increasing the shifts. These ultimately results in increased consumption of fuel, which is becoming a treasured resource nowadays. By the decision to fly less, the pressure placed on fuel by aviation industry decreases. Therefore, it prevents the environment because the fuel is obtaining by mining. For example, the surplus economy with the fuel saved can be used by companies in a more positive way.

Another reason to support this argument is that there has been increasing incidence of airplane accidents. Due to the constraints of limited airplanes, the company puts lot of pressure on completing multiple trips to cater the need of customers. Thereby, resulting in lack of safety for the passengers flying. Likewise, the material required to build an airplane was very noble and costly. The mining of these material poses a serious threat on environment. For instance, the placed being used up as mines can be considered for a development plan. As a result, the move by the people to fly less have a substantial impact on environment.

To conclude, although this development puts a question among businesses and others, I firmly believe that the advantages such as less fuel requirement and less mining outweighs those disdvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task and takes a clear position that the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages, fulfilling the core prompt requirements. However, the development of ideas remains somewhat limited and under-developed throughout the body paragraphs. For instance, the discussion on fuel consumption and mining is introduced with relevant concepts, such as reducing workplace pressure on airplanes, but the arguments lack sufficient depth, extension, and specific real-world examples. The mention of surplus economy and development plans is vague and not fully explained. While the general stance is maintained until the conclusion, the reasoning would benefit from much greater elaboration and more precise support to move beyond general statements.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion, demonstrating that the writer can structure a task response adequately. Progression is generally visible, though transitions between sentences can feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, as seen in the frequent use of linking phrases like 'Another reason to support this argument is that' and 'Likewise'. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate distinct points, but referencing and logical flow within paragraphs occasionally falter. For example, the connection between airplane accidents, customer demand, and material mining in the second body paragraph is somewhat disjointed, which prevents the progression of ideas from being entirely smooth throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate for the task, providing a sufficient range to communicate basic ideas about the environment and aviation. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'surplus economy' and 'substantial impact', but these attempts are accompanied by noticeable errors in word choice, collocation, and word form. Examples include phrases like 'the fuel is obtaining by mining' instead of obtained, 'material was very noble' instead of noble metals or materials, and 'the placed being used up' instead of places. Additionally, spelling errors such as 'disdvantages' appear in the text. These lexical inaccuracies and limited control over less common items mean that vocabulary use occasionally causes some difficulty and requires the reader to interpret the intended meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a limited range of grammatical structures, relying heavily on basic sentence patterns alongside frequent attempts at complex sentences that are often faulty. There are recurrent grammatical errors in verb forms, tenses, subject-verb agreement, and articles. For example, the opening sentence contains a direct error with 'There is a argument', and clauses such as 'the decision of individuals to reduce or stop flying have any significant positive impact' display agreement issues, as 'decision' requires 'has'. Other notable errors include 'therby increasing the shifts', 'These ultimately results', and 'the move by the people to fly less have'. These frequent errors persist throughout the text and can cause difficulty for the reader, limiting the grammatical control shown in the response.

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