Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-13

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 are certain number of people who have made their mind to limit or completely restrict themselves to travel by airplane for the sake of environment. I believe this is a great initiative lead by the known individuals because they have an influence on local people and many new chanels will cover their stance on this approach.

From my perspective I am not completely convinced with this development because limiting the number of times they travel by flights alone couldn't address the issue of environment. If they are not traveling through airplanes still they will use an other source of vehicles to reach their destination, which again will has the same impact on environment as travelling through flights.

Additionally, the advantages of this development doesn't outweigh the disadvantages for businessman and individuals. Because what if an individual lived far away from his home and there's an emergency at home and he want visit his home, he had an option to travel by flight but he deliberately chose to travel by train which lead to not only exhaustion but also he couldn't reach on time. The point of argument is, that limiting access to flights by certain number of individuals alone not going to do any benefit towards the environment nevertheless there should be reduction on the uasage of all vehicles from where the smoke, dust come from and lead to environmental pollution.

For a businessman to run a variety of businesses he need to travel from one place to another to keep up with the Inventory and rival businesses. As a result if he wouldn't travel by flights he will never be able to manage the time and he will always be exhausted if traveled by bus or any other kind of vehicle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear view that reducing flights is not enough to solve environmental problems and that the disadvantages for travellers and businesses can be significant. The examples of an emergency journey and a businessperson needing to manage inventory are relevant to the question. However, the response only partly develops the comparison: it gives several reasons against reducing flights but does not explain the environmental benefits in any detail or weigh them directly against those costs. The claim that other transport has the same environmental impact also needs qualification or support. To strengthen the response, explain the scale of aviation’s emissions and consider whether alternatives such as rail can reduce them, then reach a more fully supported judgement about which side outweighs the other.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph about individual travel, and a separate paragraph about business. Linking expressions such as “Additionally” and “As a result” help signal relationships between points. However, progression is limited because the central argument—that other vehicles also pollute—is repeated in the second and third paragraphs without being developed into a balanced comparison. Some connections are awkward or unclear, particularly the opening sentence of the third paragraph, which begins “Because” and does not form a complete sentence. Organise the body around distinct points, such as environmental gains, effects on individuals, and effects on businesses, and use clear topic sentences and references to connect each point to your overall judgement.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “environmental pollution,” “emergency,” “inventory,” and “rival businesses,” so the reader can follow the main subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are noticeably inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning less natural: “made their mind,” “known individuals,” “chanels,” and “uasage” are examples. Phrases such as “travel by flights” and “benefit towards the environment” also show difficulty selecting natural combinations. Aim to learn vocabulary in phrases and check spelling carefully. More precise terms such as “reduce air travel,” “public figures,” “carbon emissions,” and “environmental impact” would help express the argument more clearly and appropriately.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “If they are not traveling through airplanes…” and a longer example about an emergency at home. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some passages difficult to read. Examples include “which again will has,” “he want visit,” “an individual lived,” and “a businessman … he need,” where verb forms or agreement are incorrect. The sentence beginning “Because what if…” is also incomplete, while several long sentences combine ideas without clear punctuation. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, verb patterns after modal verbs, and complete sentence construction. Breaking long sentences into shorter units will also make your reasoning easier to follow.

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