Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-17

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 5.0)

A large segment of society is determined to limit their international tour by air, or not travel at all. This can have significant advantages such as, it reduces the ecosystem damage, and it may encourages authorities to invest in green energy transport . Although there may be quite few disadvantages of this development, it diminishes the amount of revenue generation from travel companies. This is because, I believe that the advantages of limiting air travel outweigh the disadvantages.

On the one hand, decreasing the use of air travels may protect the global climate. This is due to the fact that aeroplanes use a substantial amount of fossil fuels, which release many greenhouse gases. That gases in turn harm the enviornment. Moreover, cutting air travel may encourages greener infrastructure development. For instance, If more individuals neglect air travels, government may lunch other ways to generate travel revenue.

on the other hand, reducing air travel may negatively impact the economy of a country, which provides the limited amount to invest on the ecosystem and the wildlife. For example, if more individuals

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You state a clear view that the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages, and you give relevant reasons: aircraft emissions harm the climate, while reduced flying may affect travel-company revenue and the wider economy. However, the response addresses the task only partially. The disadvantages are introduced but not explained fully, and the final example breaks off at “if more individuals,” leaving the economic argument unsupported. The claim that governments may develop greener transport also needs a clearer explanation of how fewer flights would lead to that outcome. The response is 71 words below the required minimum, which limits the opportunity to develop both sides. Extend each main point with a specific explanation or example and complete the conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a basic paragraph structure: an introduction, a paragraph about environmental benefits, and a paragraph beginning to discuss economic disadvantages. Linking phrases such as “On the one hand,” “Moreover,” and “For example” show an attempt to guide the reader. However, progression is limited because the final paragraph ends mid-sentence, and the essay has no conclusion to bring the comparison together. Some connections are also unclear: the move from reduced flying to governments finding “other ways to generate travel revenue” does not clearly explain the relationship. Develop a complete paragraph for each side, use references that make the links between ideas explicit, and finish with a concise conclusion that restates your judgement.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “fossil fuels,” “greenhouse gases,” “global climate,” and “revenue,” which helps communicate the main ideas. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “a substantial amount.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, including “international tour by air,” “ecosystem damage,” and “travel revenue.” “That gases” and “enviornment” also show errors in word form and spelling. These do not prevent the reader from understanding the general argument, but they reduce precision and naturalness. Build a reliable set of collocations for aviation and environmental impacts, and check spelling and word forms during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a relative clause in “fossil fuels, which release many greenhouse gases” and a conditional structure beginning “if more individuals.” However, control is inconsistent, and several errors occur in basic sentence patterns. For example, “it may encourages” uses the wrong verb form after a modal, while “That gases” has incorrect agreement. The opening sentence also has faulty punctuation around “such as,” and the final conditional is incomplete, making the meaning difficult to follow. Practise modal verb patterns, subject–verb agreement, and complete conditional sentences. Proofread punctuation and ensure every sentence has a finished main clause.

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