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)

There is an ongoing debate regarding many people are choosing to fly less or stop altogether, aiming to reduce environmental harm. While this brings challenges for individuals and businesses , its environmental benefits ultimately outweigh the drawbacks. My inclination is justified in upcoming paragraphs with relavant examples.

To begin with, the main advantage of reducing air travel is that it can help decrease carbon emissions. Aeroplanes release greenhouse gases into that atmosphere, which contribute to global warming and climate change.If fewer people travel by air, the demand for fligts may decrease, leading to lower emissions.

Furthermore, people may choose alternative forms of transport, such as trains and buses, which can produce fewer emissions per passenger, depending on the distance and how full they are. As a result, reducing unnecessary flights can contribute to protecting the environment for future generations.

On the contrary, avoiding air travel can cause problems for both individuals and businesses. For instance, people may find it difficult to visit family members who live abroad, especially when travelling long distances.In addition, business proffessionals often need to travel internationally to attend meetings, negotiate deals and build relationships with clients.If they stop flying,some business activities may become less convenient,and companies could lose valuable opprtunities.However,video conferecing and online meetings can replace some business trips and reduce the need for frequent travel.

To conclude, although reducing air travel may create diffculties for individuals and businesses, i believe its environmental benefits are greater.By limiting unnecessary fligts and using alternative transport whenever possible,people can help reduce pollution while still meeting many of their personal and professional needs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both sides of the question and state a clear position: environmental benefits “ultimately outweigh the drawbacks.” Relevant reasons include lower emissions and the difficulty of visiting relatives or conducting international business. However, some points are asserted rather than fully explained. For example, the claim that fewer flights will lead to lower emissions would be stronger with a clearer link to reduced aviation activity, while the business disadvantages are listed without showing how significant they are compared with the environmental gains. The point about online meetings is useful, but its role in balancing the disadvantages could be developed further. Overall, the response is relevant and answers the task, though some ideas are less fully supported than others.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, environmental benefits, disadvantages, and a conclusion. Paragraphs generally focus on one main aspect, and signposts such as “Furthermore,” “On the contrary,” and “To conclude” make the progression easy to follow. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and also shows some flexibility in linking ideas. However, several transitions feel formulaic, and the opening phrase “My inclination is justified in upcoming paragraphs” does not connect naturally to the argument. Some links between claims could be made more explicit—for instance, how online meetings reduce the business costs of flying less. More natural referencing and less reliance on set transition phrases would make cohesion smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “carbon emissions,” “greenhouse gases,” “alternative forms of transport,” and “internationally,” which allows you to discuss both environmental and practical effects. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “build relationships with clients.” However, spelling errors are noticeable, including “fligts,” “proffessionals,” “opprtunities,” and “conferecing,” and some expressions are awkward or imprecise, such as “that atmosphere” and “My inclination is justified.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce accuracy and naturalness. Aim to check spelling carefully and choose collocations that express your meaning directly and precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional structure in “If fewer people travel by air, the demand for flights may decrease” and a relative clause in “which can produce fewer emissions per passenger.” Most ideas remain clear despite some grammatical and punctuation errors. For example, the opening “There is an ongoing debate regarding many people are choosing…” needs a grammatical link, such as “regarding whether many people are choosing…”. There are also missing spaces after full stops and commas, and the final paragraph has inconsistent capitalisation of “I.” Some sentences could be punctuated more carefully, particularly where several clauses run together. Proofreading these patterns would improve control while preserving your range.

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.