Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-16

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)

Numerous individuals started to limit their frequency of flight whether alone or together. This habit has positive impacts on environment including benefits for birds, while it has disadvantages including heavy loss to airlines companies. However, in my opinion I concur that, the advantage exceed the drawbacks.

One major disadvantage of less frequent flight is it impact negatively on income of flight companies. This is because, if people start to travel less just to protect environment then their income will surely plummet. They have invested a fortune on business, while this notion can directly reduced their income and even many companies can go bankrupt . For instance, in Nepal, domestic flights have problem regarding passenger. The number of passengers is significantly small. Consequently, the profit they are generating is even small and some of them are near to collapsed.

On the other hand, if the number decreases then birds can significantly increased. In others word, the aeroplanes and helicopters are harming birds while flying. Furthermore, the population they made and noise they created pose aremarkable threats to birds. For example, several research article suggested that due to increase in number of flight and air traffic, the number of many birds are plummeting and some are near extinction. Sparrow is one of them. Therefore, if we will be able to reduce the number of flight then we can assist bird to exist in nature.

Im conclusion, although by limiting flight it can negatively impacts flight companies, its advantages outweigh the drawbacks because by doing this, birds can be protected.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You give a clear overall view that the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages, and you address both sides by discussing airline income and harm to birds. The Nepal example adds some relevant support to the business disadvantage. However, the response only partially develops the task: the environmental case is focused almost entirely on birds, while broader effects such as emissions and climate change are not considered. The claim that fewer flights will increase bird populations is asserted rather than explained in detail, and the evidence about sparrows is general. To strengthen the response, explain the environmental mechanism and weigh it directly against specific consequences for individuals and businesses, such as reduced travel options or costs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a coherent overall arrangement: an introduction states your position, two body paragraphs present opposing considerations, and a conclusion restates your view. Linking phrases such as “On the other hand,” “For instance,” and “Therefore” help signal the direction of the argument. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “if the number decreases” does not clearly specify the number of flights, and “In others word” introduces a point that is not fully connected to the preceding claim. The conclusion repeats the main idea without drawing together the comparison. Use clearer referencing and develop each paragraph through a more explicit sequence of claim, explanation, and evidence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “income,” “passenger,” “air traffic,” “extinction,” and “outweigh the drawbacks,” which helps communicate the main ideas. There are also attempts at less common expressions, such as “plummet” and “pose … threats.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning awkward: “the number of birds can significantly increased,” “problem regarding passenger,” and “near to collapsed.” Spelling and word-form errors such as “Im conclusion” and “research article” also reduce control. Build a more precise set of phrases for environmental impacts and business consequences, and check whether verbs and nouns naturally combine before using them.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “if people start to travel less” and a contrast clause beginning “although.” This gives the response some structural variety, and the main argument is generally understandable. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors occur frequently in verb forms, agreement, articles, and sentence construction. Examples include “it impact negatively,” “can directly reduced,” “birds can significantly increased,” and “although … it can negatively impacts.” The sentence about aircraft and noise also has an unclear structure. Practise forming conditionals and checking subject–verb agreement and verb patterns; then proofread each sentence for a complete, grammatically consistent clause.

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