Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-18

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)

People have now decided to reduce their number of visits every year or stopped flying together in planes. While there are benefits to flying together every year. I would argue that these are outweighed by the disadvantages to individuals and businesses.

On the one hand, frequent flying and making visits every year is attractive for several reasons whether they are for personal reasons or businesses. it is beneficial in someways. The first one is that flying or making visits to other places are often done by upper class or business people. It either helps them to promote their businesses by meeting international business men or finding out what's going on in the international market or taking time out for tour to beautiful places around the world after having a busy and hectic schedule for the whole year.

Second, some people have the habit of flying every year with their families to attractive places to make them happy and relaxed which is a positive thing for staying stress free and healthy and also to try diffrerent foods and cultures of different socities which makes them aware of different cultures and their way of living.

On the other hand, i am of the opinion that disadvantages are more significant than advantages. Frequent travelling brings significant disadvantages.

First, although travelling is mostly done by wealthy people but making frequent travels alone or together with families may have economical disadvantages from buying tickets to booking rooms in restaurants and then travelling there requires a significant wealth. Moreover, health related risks are also associated with frequent travelling like medical evidence suggests that formation of clots in the veins of lower legs which ultimately causes swelling in the feet or deep vein thrombosis is present in those people who frequently travel by air. For instance, travelling altogether by air is also not recommended because if Godforbid plane had crashed then there are high chances of losing the whole family at once.

In conclusion, it seems evident that the unfavourable outcomes frequent travelling by air are more significant than the advantages results.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You give a clear overall view that the disadvantages outweigh the benefits, and you include points about business travel, family holidays, cost and health. However, the response only partially addresses the specific question: it asks whether the environmental benefits of reducing or stopping flights outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses, but most of your discussion focuses on the general benefits and risks of frequent travel. The environmental case—such as reduced emissions or air pollution—is not explained, and the disadvantages to businesses are only briefly suggested through meetings and promotion. Develop both sides in direct relation to the question, and support your position with relevant examples rather than relying on points such as the risk of a plane crash.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two sides of the argument and a conclusion. Paragraphing and signposts such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the broad direction. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the first body paragraph moves from business meetings to holidays, while the second combines travel costs, medical risks and plane crashes without showing how these points support the question about environmental benefits. Some linking is mechanical, and the opening sentence of the first body paragraph is awkwardly followed by a fragment (“it is beneficial in someways”). Group related ideas and use clearer links to explain how each example supports your argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “international market,” “medical evidence,” “formation of clots” and “deep vein thrombosis.” This gives you a basic range for discussing travel and its effects. However, vocabulary is often repetitive or imprecise: “making visits” and “frequent travelling” recur, while “travelling altogether by air” does not clearly express the intended idea. There are also noticeable spelling and word-form errors, such as “diffrerent,” “socities” and “Godforbid,” which reduce accuracy. Build a more precise range for the environmental focus of the task, including terms for emissions and climate impact, and check spelling and collocations. This would make your meaning clearer and more appropriate to an academic essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a concession beginning “although” and a longer sentence about health risks. However, control is inconsistent, and some sentence structures are faulty or incomplete. For example, “While there are benefits to flying together every year” is a dependent clause presented as a sentence, and “The first one is that flying or making visits … are often done” has a subject–verb agreement problem. Other issues include missing or inconsistent articles and capitalisation, as in “it” and “i,” and the final sentence, “the unfavourable outcomes … are more significant than the advantages results,” is grammatically unclear. Aim for shorter, complete sentences first, then add complex structures with careful checking of agreement and sentence boundaries.

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