Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)
Some people have decided to stop or reduce taking the number of flights and the reason behind this decision is to protect the environment. This step looks small at first glance, but when collectively taken by large amount of people, it can significantly reduce the pollution.
But I personally believe that the disadvantages associated with this decision clearly outweighs the positive impacts. It can look like a great descision but can cost a lot to individual's growth and progress. Reminding that, there are plenty of other reasons for the degradation of environment as well, so sacrificing the personal growth because of this is not an ideal choice.
The main advantage of this step is related to the environmental benifits. A lot of fuel is burned by the aircrafts and the emmits harmful gases into the atmosphere, which is also the main reason for global warming as well. So, reducing the number of flights can save a lot of fuel and can also result in lesser emission of harmful gases.
But the disadvantages due to this are much significant for pesonal growth and for the nation's economy as well. This would affect various sectors like tourism, ecommerce, foreign education, transportation and many more. For example, a country which is dependent mostly on tourism will be badly effected due to this, the economy will face huge backslash. Flights are necessary for country's econmy as well as important for indivual as well. A student or a businessmen will get limited opportunities if there are such types of restriction to follow.
To conclude this, although there are many positive impacts because of this decision but however the disadvantages clearly outweigh the benifits, apart from reducing the number of flights to save environment, we can look into other reasons which contributes to the pollution even more such as burning of coal and fossel fuels to produce electricity.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5
Your position is clear: you argue that the disadvantages of reducing flights outweigh the environmental benefits, and you address both sides of the question. You identify reduced fuel use and emissions as the main benefit, then explain possible effects on tourism, education, business and national economies. The tourism example helps make your argument relevant. This meets the task well, while showing some of the fuller development expected at the next level. However, several claims remain broad: for instance, the effects on “ecommerce” and “transportation” are listed rather than explained, and the student/businessperson example needs a clearer account of how fewer flights limit opportunities. Develop these points with specific consequences or examples, and qualify the claim that aviation is a main cause of global warming.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction states your view, separate paragraphs discuss benefits and disadvantages, and a conclusion restates your position. This makes the argument generally easy to follow. Some linking is effective, such as “For example” before the tourism illustration. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes loose, and connectors can feel mechanical or contradictory. In the conclusion, “although” and “but however” are used together, while the final point about coal and fossil fuels introduces a new comparison without clearly linking it to the argument. The opening also repeats the idea of reducing flights. Use clearer topic sentences, connect each example directly to the claim it supports, and avoid stacking linking words.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “environmental benefits,” “harmful gases,” “global warming,” “tourism,” and “economy.” These choices communicate the main ideas, and you attempt more specific terms such as “degradation” and “emissions.” However, inaccurate spelling and word choice are noticeable and sometimes distract the reader: examples include “descision,” “benifits,” “backslash” where “backlash” or “setback” may be intended, and “effected” instead of “affected.” Some collocations are also awkward, such as “taking the number of flights” and “personal growth” in this context. Build accuracy by checking spelling and learning common combinations such as “reduce the number of flights” and “economic impact.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a conditional construction (“when collectively taken by large amount of people”) and a contrastive sentence beginning “although.” Most of the meaning remains understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “the disadvantages … clearly outweighs” has subject–verb disagreement, and “A lot of fuel is burned by the aircrafts and the emmits harmful gases” shifts incorrectly from passive to active structure. Articles and plurals also need attention in phrases such as “for country's economy” and “a student or a businessmen.” The final sentence is difficult to control because several ideas are joined together. Practise checking agreement, articles and sentence boundaries, while keeping complex sentences manageable.
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