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)

The aviation industry is experiencing tremendous growth in profits since the formation of private aviation companies. These profits are justified, as they help to reduce a passenger's travel time.

In my opinion, the environmental benefits of this development cannot outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses.

But in recent times, some of the frequent travellers have decided to reduce the number of times they fly every year or to stop flying altogether. The major impact would be on the aviation companies, but along with them, other independent service providers who earn through airport services would also suffer. Such as the small cafes and food courts in rented spaces inside the airport.

Along with the disadvantages, it is very essential to understand the motive behind this move. The benefit of this step will be a reduction in the frequency of flights flying. This can cause a steep fall in overall pollution levels. But this step cannot be termed as beneficial to the environment, as if people have decided to stop flying, they would obviously rely on some other mode of transportation for travelling. For example, if a person wants to travel from one state to another inside the country, he would use a vehicle to travel, causing pollution.

Disadvantages are more severe, as the step might cause losses to the aviation companies. This indirectly results in an increase in unemployment, leading to a fall in GDP of the country. Another disadvantage would be the discomfort caused to the same individuals travelling by some of the other means of transport. Along with discomfort, the time required for travelling will also rise subsequently.

So, the step of reducing the frequency of flying in order to gain environmental benefits will be feasible only if it is restricted to shorter-duration flights. But as a whole, it does not outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you argue that the environmental gains do not outweigh the costs, and you address both individuals and businesses. You also recognise a possible benefit—fewer flights could reduce pollution—and explain that travellers may switch to other transport. However, the comparison is not fully developed. The example of a person travelling between states by vehicle is brief and does not establish whether this alternative would cause pollution comparable to flying. The business and employment effects are more prominent, while the disadvantages for individuals receive less explanation. The final suggestion that reductions should apply only to short flights is relevant but is introduced without enough support. Develop these points with specific comparisons and examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from your position to business effects, environmental benefits, further disadvantages and a conclusion. Paragraphing helps separate these main points. However, progression within and between paragraphs is sometimes mechanical or unclear. For example, “Along with the disadvantages” introduces the environmental benefit, which makes the relationship between ideas confusing. The standalone fragment “Such as the small cafes…” also interrupts the flow of the business paragraph. Repeated transitions such as “Along with” and “Another disadvantage” make the links predictable rather than showing precisely how ideas relate. Use complete sentences, clearer topic sentences and more varied referencing to connect each claim to the argument about whether benefits outweigh costs.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “aviation companies,” “pollution levels,” “unemployment” and “GDP,” which allows you to discuss environmental and economic consequences. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “the frequency of flights” and “environmental benefits.” Some choices are imprecise or unnatural, however: “profits are justified” does not clearly express that aviation growth brings benefits, and “flights flying” is redundant. “The same individuals travelling” is also an awkward way to refer back to passengers. These choices do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Aim for more accurate collocations and avoid repeating the same word where a concise alternative would be clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional reasoning in “if people have decided to stop flying” and a relative clause in “service providers who earn through airport services.” Most of the argument remains understandable, but some grammatical errors and sentence-boundary problems are noticeable. “Such as the small cafes…” is a fragment rather than a complete sentence, and “the frequency of flights flying” shows an awkward construction. In “the time required for travelling will also rise subsequently,” the sentence is grammatically formed but the placement of “subsequently” is unclear. Review sentence completeness, clause structure and punctuation, and check that each sentence expresses one clear relationship. Greater control of these forms would make your varied structures more effective.

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