Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-19

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)

It is widely acknowledged that trend to reduce the air travel or stop flying together has become an increasingly contentinuous issue in contemporary society. While some proponents assert that its disadvantages for individuals and businesses outweigh its merits. I firmly contend that environmental benefits are greater then its drawbacks. This essay will critically examine the issue before reaching the balanced conclusion.

To commence with one compelling justification for supporting less flying is that planes produced lot of pollution that harm the environment. This is largely attributes that one long flight create huge amount of carbon dioxide which cause global warming and air pollution. As a result it is reasonable to infer that if we fly less we can reduced the air pollution from environment that is beneficial for everyone's health which ultimately fosters positive outcomes.

Another pivotal consideration is that although less flying create some problems but these can be managed. A pertinent example is that a businessman in sialkot now use zoom app for meeting with clients in europe that saves a lot of money also people in pakistan can talk with their relatives in in dubai or Uk, which clearly shows that environmental benefit is greater than problems for tourism or airline.

To recaptulate, although differing viewpoints persist the prepondarance of evidance supports the view that flying less is more beneficial for the environment that basically cleans the atmosphere like in COVID-19 when people use less flights and travel through cars or trains. Therefor, adopting this approach appear both pragmatic and beneficial in long run.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear position: you believe the environmental benefits of flying less outweigh the drawbacks, and you address both environmental effects and possible impacts on people and businesses. The points about aircraft emissions and using Zoom for business meetings are relevant. However, the disadvantages are only briefly acknowledged, and the example about relatives communicating online does not fully explain what individuals or businesses lose when they fly less. The COVID-19 comparison is also unclear because it mentions travel by cars or trains without explaining how this supports the environmental argument. Develop each main point with a specific explanation or example, and compare the benefits and disadvantages more directly to make the response more complete and convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “To commence with,” “Another pivotal consideration,” and “To recapitulate” help signal the stages of the argument. The overall progression is understandable, but some links are mechanical or unclear. For example, “although less flying create some problems but these can be managed” combines two contrasting linkers, and the long example about the businessman, relatives and tourism moves between ideas without clear separation. The conclusion also introduces the COVID-19 comparison rather than simply drawing together the established points. Use clearer topic sentences and divide examples from explanations so each paragraph develops one main idea.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt a range of topic-related and formal vocabulary, including “environmental benefits,” “carbon dioxide,” “global warming,” “pertinent example” and “pragmatic.” This gives the response some appropriate academic tone. However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable and sometimes make the meaning less clear: “contentinuous issue,” “prepondarance of evidance,” and “cleans the atmosphere” are examples. Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “stop flying together” and “pollution from environment.” Aim for accurate, natural collocations and check spelling carefully. Reusing precise terms such as “air travel,” “emissions,” “environmental impact” and “economic costs” would help you express the argument more clearly without relying on awkward or inaccurate phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a concession in “While some proponents assert…” and a conditional idea beginning “if we fly less.” However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. Examples include “planes produced lot of pollution that harm,” “one long flight create huge amount,” and “if we fly less we can reduced,” where verb forms, agreement and articles are not controlled. The opening “While…” clause is also left as a sentence fragment. Practise building complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check agreement and verb forms. For instance, write “One long flight creates a large amount of carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming.”

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