Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-21

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)

Some individuals have decided to decrease the number of times they fly through aeroplanes every year or trying to eliminate flying. I strongly agree that the environmental benefits of this development outweigh the drawbacks for people and businessess.

If human beings reduce the number of times they fly then aeroplanes will release less harmful gases in atmosphere which will eventually reduce the green-house effect. Ozone layer is residing in the atmosphere which is protecting the earth from direct rays of sun, and this layer is depleting due to the gases released by the planes. For instance, before the invention of aircraft, temperature of earth and ocean was less compared to today and they didn't face the crisis we face in present era like drought.

Airplanes release gases eventually form clouds in the sky which affects directly to the mankind. Rain water is the purest form of water, we all know, but it's not pure when water comes from those clouds formed through harmful gases because that water contains harmful micro-organism which can degrade the quality of soil, affects the vegetation and destroy the crops.

However, disadvantages faced by the people should not be disregarded. Many individuals like businessman travel across the country for their work to establish their global empire and if they reduce or completely stop to fly, then it can affect their business and eventually to the economy of the nation.

To sum up, flying through airplanes have benefits for rich people though it can affect the environment in a very disruptive way. So environmental benefits of reducing the number of flights outweigh the disadvantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you believe the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages. You address both sides, explaining that fewer flights could reduce emissions and describing possible effects on business travel. The discussion of business impacts is relevant but brief, while the environmental case is developed more fully. Some supporting claims are unclear or insufficiently accurate—for example, the link between aircraft emissions, ozone depletion, and the “green-house effect” is not explained reliably, and the comparison with conditions before aircraft existed does not establish that flying caused today’s droughts. Develop the business consequences and support each main point with more precise, relevant reasoning or examples to make the response more convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two paragraphs focused on environmental effects, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. This gives the reader a basic route through your argument, and transitions such as “However” and “To sum up” signal changes in direction. However, the two environmental paragraphs are not clearly distinguished in purpose, and the progression between claims is sometimes difficult to follow. For instance, the move from aircraft gases to cloud formation and then to harmful rainwater needs clearer explanation. Some links between sentences feel mechanical or unclear. Organise the environmental points into a more deliberate sequence and use explicit references to show how each example supports your central argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “harmful gases,” “depleting,” “vegetation,” and “economy,” which helps communicate the subject. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “environmental benefits” and “disadvantages.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “fly through aeroplanes,” “green-house effect,” and “global empire.” “Businessess” is misspelled, and repeated use of “gases” and “affect” limits precision. These choices do not prevent the reader from understanding your overall position, but they make some claims less clear. Aim for accurate topic collocations and check spelling and word forms when revising.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including conditional structures such as “If human beings reduce the number of times they fly…” and a concession introduced by “However.” This shows some range, and the main argument remains understandable. However, errors in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence construction occur across the response. For example, “Airplanes release gases eventually form clouds” lacks a grammatical link between the clauses, while “flying through airplanes have benefits” has a subject–verb agreement problem. In “it can affect their business and eventually to the economy,” the verb pattern is incomplete. Review clause structure and agreement, and check that each sentence has a clear subject and correctly formed verb.

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