Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-15

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 flights they take each year or stop flying altogether. This development can benefit the environment by reducing carbon emissions. I believe that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages because it limits individuals' career opportunities and affects businesses' revenue and employment.

One major advantage of including fewer flights every year may reduce the amount of fuel burned. As flights need fuel to operate, which releases carbon dioxide, this reduction in flights can protect the environment from harmful gas emissions and limit global warming and climate change. For example, these harmful emissions can disturb the respiratory system and make it difficult to breathe, particularly for people with weak immune systems.

Despite the benefits, a decision to take a reduced number of flights or stop flying may directly impact individuals' career aspects and their overall professional development. For instance, people may fail to attend international meetings and conferences, and they may also miss valuable career opportunities. As a result, this limits the career advancement that individuals can achieve in the future. However, in terms of businesses, if people fly less frequently, airlines and tourism-related industries may receive fewer customers. Consequently, their revenue could decline, potentially leading to job losses and slower economic growth.

In conclusion, reducing the number of flights may reduce carbon emissions in the environment, which limits the occurrence of global warming. I believe that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages because it limits career opportunities for individuals and reduces revenue and employment opportunities for businesses.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you believe the disadvantages outweigh the environmental benefits, and you address effects on both individuals and businesses. The discussion of missed international meetings and possible job losses is relevant, while the environmental paragraph explains how fewer flights could reduce fuel use and emissions. However, some ideas are less fully developed than others: the health effects of emissions are mentioned, but the link to the specific benefits of reducing flights could be explained more directly, and the business impact is asserted rather than supported with an example. The response is also 243 words, below the 250-word minimum; the nine words copied from the task prompt are not counted. Develop one or two points further to complete the response more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, separate body paragraphs discuss environmental benefits and disadvantages, and the conclusion restates your position. Connectors such as “Despite the benefits,” “For instance,” and “Consequently” help show relationships between ideas. However, some links are mechanical or not fully clear. For example, “One major advantage … may reduce” does not connect grammatically to the following explanation, and the shift from individual career effects to business impacts within one paragraph could be signposted more clearly. The conclusion largely repeats the introduction. Use clearer topic sentences and transitions between the two disadvantage areas, and make the final paragraph briefly synthesise the comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “carbon emissions,” “global warming,” “international meetings,” “revenue,” and “economic growth.” These choices make the main points understandable, and there are attempts at more formal phrasing such as “professional development” and “career advancement.” Some expressions are imprecise or repetitive, though. “Career aspects” is vague, while “harmful gas emissions” and “reduce carbon emissions” repeat similar wording. “The occurrence of global warming” is also an unnatural collocation. Aim for more precise, natural combinations and vary repeated terms; this would make the argument clearer and more fluent without changing its meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses such as “As flights need fuel to operate” and conditional phrasing in “if people fly less frequently.” Most sentences communicate their meaning clearly, and punctuation is generally controlled. Some grammatical errors remain. In “One major advantage … may reduce,” the subject and verb do not form a complete, logical construction; write, for example, “One major advantage of taking fewer flights is that less fuel is burned.” The phrase “As flights need fuel to operate, which releases carbon dioxide” also has an unclear relative-clause reference. Review sentence completeness and ensure that clauses such as “which releases” clearly refer to the intended noun. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen control.

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

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