Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-08

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 5.0)

Few individuals have made the decision to minimize the number of times they travel through plane every year or to stop it completely.Although , this development has some disadvatages for individuals and businesses but i believe that its advantages are greater because of reduction in air pollution and cost effectiveness.

on the one hand , there are several benefits of reducing the number of times a person travels through air or stopping flying completely. One major advantage of this approach is reduction in the air pollution.This is because when a plane fly in air it it emmits a massive ammount of toxic gasses in air which causes severe air pollution due to which our ozonelayer is thinning as well as it also causes certain health issues for human beings and animals. Air pollution causes the respiratory problems and lungs disfunctioning.Another major benefit is that it saves a lot of money because air tickets are so expensive so unnecessary visits cause a heavy amount of money to be wasted . So , this approach will help individuals to save a lot of money become financially stable.Similarly , heavy budget is required to maintain the heavy engines of air planes due to vich organizations have to expend a massive cost of maintenance of them .this development will also reduce that quantity of budget .

Despite from the benefits, the decesion of reducing or stoppingthe air travel also have some drawbacks . One potential drawback is that it badly effects the businesses and economy of any country.Because individuals travel to other countries and trade and run businesses

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You take a position that the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages, and you give relevant reasons, especially air pollution and the cost of flying. However, the response addresses the question only partially because the disadvantages for businesses and individuals are not developed. The final paragraph begins to explain that reduced travel could affect trade and businesses, but it ends before showing how or giving an example. The environmental explanation also makes broad claims about ozone depletion and health without clarifying the link or supporting them. To strengthen the response, explain the main disadvantages fully, then compare their importance with the environmental gains and support each key point with a specific example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

There is some organisation: the response moves from benefits to drawbacks, and phrases such as “on the one hand” and “despite” signal a change in direction. The benefits paragraph also groups related points about pollution and cost. However, progression is limited because the final paragraph stops mid-argument, leaving the comparison incomplete. Several links are mechanical or awkward, including “Similarly” before the point about airline maintenance, which shifts from individual savings to business costs without a clear connection. Long sentences joined by “because” and repeated “also” make relationships between ideas harder to follow. Use separate paragraphs for environmental benefits, disadvantages, and your conclusion, and make each paragraph develop one clear point in a logical sequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “air pollution,” “respiratory problems,” “trade,” and “maintenance,” which helps communicate the subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, sometimes making the meaning less clear. For example, “travel through plane” and “heavy amount of money to be wasted” are not natural expressions, while “heavy engines” does not clearly describe the cost of maintaining aircraft. Spelling errors such as “disadvatages,” “ammount,” and “decesion” also reduce accuracy. Build a more precise set of phrases for aviation and environmental impacts, and check spelling and collocations when editing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some complex structures, such as “Although … but I believe” and the explanation beginning “This is because,” but these are often not controlled successfully. Errors in sentence structure, agreement, articles, and punctuation occur frequently and can make the reader pause. For instance, “when a plane fly” needs subject–verb agreement, and “the decision … also have” has a singular subject with a plural verb. The opening also combines “Although” and “but” unnecessarily, while several sentences run together without appropriate full stops. Practise building accurate simple sentences first, then add subordinate clauses and check agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries during proofreading.

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.