Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
Few people choose to not to travel with planes or decide to reduce travel by aeroplanes. where i believe due to this it will increase our economy and benefits to our environment. In this essay i will discuss about this development outweigh the disadvantages with some relevant examples.
On the one hand, reducing air travel can cause problems for individuals and businesses. People who frequently travel abroad for work or education may find it difficult to reach their destinations without flights. Other forms of transport, such as trains and buses, can take considerably longer. Furthermore, businesses that depend on international customers may lose money because face-to-face meetings and business trips can help them build strong relationships. For example, a company that regularly meets overseas clients may find it harder to attract new customers if its employees stop travelling by air.
On the other hand, reducing the number of flights can provide significant environmental benefits. In other words, goverment spend lot of money on airports maintance and fuel consumption For example, there are lot of planes travel one place to another which consume lots of fuel which can reduce by less travel with planes. In result, it reduce carbon emmission aircraft burn large amounts of fossil fuel. make our environment pollution free.
In conclusion, although flying less may cause inconvenience to individuals and financial difficulties for some businesses, I believe that the environmental benefits are more important. People can use alternative transport or online meetings whenever possible to reduce the negative effects of air travel without giving up travelling completely.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
You address both sides of the question and state a clear view in the conclusion: environmental benefits are more important, while online meetings and alternative transport can reduce the drawbacks. The points about work or education travel and overseas clients are relevant, and the company example helps illustrate the business disadvantage. However, the environmental case is less fully explained. The claim that fewer flights would reduce fuel use and emissions is relevant, but the discussion of government spending on airport maintenance is not clearly connected to the environmental benefits, and the effects on individuals are not weighed against those benefits in much detail. Develop the comparison more explicitly and support the environmental argument with a clearer explanation or example.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The progression from disadvantages to environmental benefits is easy to follow, and signposts such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help guide the reader. However, cohesion becomes less controlled in the environmental paragraph: “In other words” does not clearly introduce the point about government spending, and several short statements are joined or separated awkwardly, making the reasoning feel abrupt. The introduction also promises a discussion without clearly previewing the position. Use linking phrases only when their relationship is precise, and connect each example directly to the claim it supports.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “face-to-face meetings,” “international customers,” “fuel consumption,” and “carbon emission,” which helps communicate the main ideas. However, the range and control are uneven, and several word choices or collocations make parts of the environmental argument difficult to understand. For example, “increase our economy and benefits to our environment” does not express a clear relationship, while “make our environment pollution free” is an imprecise description of the likely effect. Spelling errors such as “goverment,” “maintance,” and “emmission” are also noticeable. Build a more precise set of terms for emissions and business impacts, and check spelling and natural word combinations when editing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, and several sentences are clear, such as “Other forms of transport, such as trains and buses, can take considerably longer.” The relative clause in “businesses that depend on international customers” also shows some structural range. However, there are some errors in sentence formation, agreement, articles, and punctuation. The opening phrase “choose to not to travel” contains an unnecessary “to,” and “where i believe due to this it will increase” is not a complete, well-formed sentence. In the environmental paragraph, “it reduce carbon emission” has agreement and number problems, while sentence boundaries are unclear around “fossil fuel. make our environment…” Review sentence completeness, subject–verb agreement, and capitalization, then proofread punctuation.
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.