Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-20
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)
In the contemporary world, environmental pollution is increasing at a rapid rate. In order to reduce environmental degradation, many people have decreased the use of aiplane and some of them have even discontinued to travel through aircrafts. I believe, avoiding air travel has more disadvantages for individuals and businesses than environmental benefits . This essay will discuss the environmental benefits and disadvantages for individuals of this development.
One of the most significant benefits of avoiding air travel is the reduction air pollution and the conservation of fossil fuels. Aeroplane runs on gasoline, which is derived from fossil fuels. As fossil fuels are limited in nature, consuming them at a rapid rate will result in its depletion. In addition, burning of gasoline results in the emission of harmful gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, resulting in global warming. Furthermore, flying of aircraft is also linked with deaths of many birds. For instance, it is mandatory to displace all the birds near the airport, as they can lead to a large number of accidents. However, air pollution due to air travel is negligible when compared to that caused by industries and factories.
On the other hand, avoiding air travel can cause significant losses for business and individuals. Today companies are spread across the gloab and it is necessary for them to travel frequently, in order to cordinate properly. Furthermore, air travel has reduced the travel time, this make the journey comfortable to individuals . For example, it takes 3 days to travel from Delhi to Mumbai via train, the same distance can take only 3 hours by aeroplane.
To sum up, avoiding air-travel contributes to reduction in air-pollution and protection of fossil fuels. However, it also provide benefits to individuals by reducing travel time and providing a comfortable journey. I believe the advantages of air-travel outweigh its disadvantages
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.0 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You give a clear answer to the central question: you believe the disadvantages of reducing air travel outweigh its environmental benefits. You also identify relevant benefits, including lower emissions and conserving fossil fuels, and disadvantages for businesses and individuals, such as the need for companies to coordinate internationally and the time saved by flying. However, the comparison is not fully convincing because the environmental benefits are briefly asserted and then dismissed as “negligible” without evidence, while the business and individual impacts receive limited explanation. The bird-related point is also not clearly connected to the environmental case. Develop both sides with specific support, and make the conclusion directly compare their scale rather than shifting to the general benefits of air travel.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on environmental effects, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a concluding summary. Signposting such as “On the other hand” and “To sum up” helps readers follow the main direction. Within paragraphs, however, some connections are mechanical or unclear. The sentence about birds and airport displacement does not clearly follow from the discussion of emissions, and “However” introduces the claim that aviation pollution is negligible without explaining how it relates to the preceding points. The conclusion also repeats the benefits of flying rather than clearly weighing them against environmental gains. Use more explicit links between each example and your argument, and ensure the final paragraph resolves the comparison.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “environmental degradation,” “fossil fuels,” “emission,” and “global warming,” which allows you to discuss the issue clearly. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “significant losses” and “conservation.” However, several word-choice and collocation errors reduce precision: “decreased the use of airplane,” “discontinued to travel through aircrafts,” and “coordinate properly” are not natural expressions in this context. Spelling errors such as “aiplane,” “gloab,” and “cordinate” are noticeable, and “air-travel” is used inconsistently. Build accuracy by learning common collocations for transport and business, and proofread spelling and word forms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0
You use a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including subordinate clauses such as “As fossil fuels are limited in nature” and “as they can lead to a large number of accidents.” Most of the argument remains understandable, and the errors generally do not prevent communication. Some grammatical problems are nevertheless evident: “the reduction air pollution” is missing a preposition, “this make the journey” has incorrect subject–verb agreement, and “it also provide benefits” has the same agreement problem. There are also issues with articles and number, as in “Aeroplane runs” and “the same distance can take only 3 hours.” Review agreement, articles, and sentence punctuation, then check each sentence for a complete and correctly formed clause.
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.