Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-22

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)

The topic of reducing the number of travel each year is of great importance and there is a lot of ongoing debate about it because it directly affects a country's economy. However, some people agreed with this notion that unneccassry flight travels should be stopped while other held contrasting opinions. In this essay, I will discuss it in detail and give my opinion.

Firstly, the greatest benefit of reducing flight travels is enviromental protection. Planes and aircrafts causes lot of air pollution by producuing harmful gases which not only effect the living things but also affect the protective gases present in our ecosysytem such as ozone layer. It also depleted the non-renewale energy sources present on Earth. Because, flying a plane cosumed a huge amount of fuel.

On the other hand, using flights to travel from one coutry to another is quite convenient and easy method and it also helps greatly in boostig their economy. Most of the countries depend on tourism as major source of income. Such countries spent a lot of their money on promoting tourism.

However, according to my opinion the benefits of reducing travel far outweighs the harm. Because protecting our enviroment is our top priority. If we have a clean and safe ecosysytem we can live more happilly and healthy. If we are not fit, what is the benefit of traveling or if we have no fuel how could we travel on planes? Reducing level of fuel is an alarming situtation for all of us. Because we can't create it.

In conclusion, both its advantages and disadvantages greatly affect our daily lives but our environment is our first and foremeost worry so we should consider reducing our flights. Do not travel unless it is compulsory.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear overall view: you believe the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages, and you mention both pollution and the economic value of tourism. This addresses the central comparison, but the discussion is only partly developed. The environmental case is supported by fuel use and pollution, while the disadvantages are mainly asserted through tourism and national income, without explaining how reduced flying would affect businesses or individuals in practice. The opening also frames the issue as a general debate rather than directly establishing your position. To strengthen the response, explain the scale or consequences of each impact and include a specific example, then compare them explicitly before concluding.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph on environmental benefits, a paragraph on economic disadvantages, and a conclusion. The contrast signalled by “On the other hand” and the return to your view with “However” help readers follow the main direction. This coherent arrangement meets the lower-band expectations, and there is some progression between the two sides of the argument. However, links are occasionally mechanical or unclear: “Because” begins standalone sentences, and the final paragraph repeats the environmental priority rather than synthesising the comparison. Use fewer sentence-initial connectors and make the relationship between each claim and its supporting explanation more explicit. A more focused topic sentence in each body paragraph would also improve flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “air pollution,” “harmful gases,” “tourism,” “source of income,” and “non-renewable energy sources.” These choices make the subject understandable, and there is an attempt to use more formal language. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling and word-choice errors reduce precision, such as “enviromental,” “ecosysytem,” and “foremeost.” Some combinations are also unnatural, including “flight travels” and “boostig their economy.” Aim to learn accurate collocations for this topic and check spelling carefully. More precise terms for emissions, aviation, and business impacts would help you express the argument with less repetition and greater clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “which not only effect the living things but also affect…” and conditional questions such as “if we have no fuel how could we travel on planes?” This shows some range, but control is inconsistent. Errors in agreement and verb forms occur in “Planes and aircrafts causes” and “countries spent,” while sentence construction is faulty in “Because, flying a plane cosumed…” and “the benefits… far outweighs.” Punctuation around subordinate clauses is also uneven. These errors sometimes make the reader pause, although the main meaning is generally recoverable. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and building complete sentences, especially when using “because” and “if” clauses.

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