Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-27

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 people have made a conscious decision to limit their annual flights or to stop flying altogether. I totally agree with this statement that reducing the number of flying can give more enviornmental benefits such as decrease in air pollution and eventually results in declined rate of enviornmental stressors and diseases but this can also give some sort of harmful effects to the businesses.

Limiting the flying rate can reduce the smoke exhaled by the fuel engines of the air crafts in the outer space as a result of which the air pollution can be decreased. For example: In Lahore, there were 14 aeroplanes operating in the sky but government limits them to only 7 due to fog, considerable amount of air pollution can be reduced in the enviornment because no excessive amount of smoke is produced by their engines.

Moreover, if there is decline in number of flights by public than it will also cause an air line to go into a loss economically which can shatter their bussiness. For example: PIA is a famous air line in Pakistan but due to some recent incidents, a considerable amount of Pakistanis stoped using it due to lack of trust as a result the air company goes into a severe loss in it's business and a huge number of people working there got unemployed because they donot have enough resources to pay them.

In conclusion, reducing the number of flights can behave in both positive and negative aspects for indiviuals and businesses. It can bring a psoitive impact on the enviornment as it results in decline in envoirnmental issues but on the other hand, it can sent one's business into severe loss.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You take a clear position that reducing flights brings environmental benefits, while acknowledging harm to businesses, so both sides of the question are addressed. The pollution point is relevant, and the PIA example gives a concrete illustration of possible economic consequences. However, the discussion is uneven: the environmental benefit is asserted rather than explained in depth, and the Lahore example concerns flight restrictions during fog, not clearly people choosing to fly less for environmental reasons. The effects on individuals are also largely missing, despite being named in the question. Develop the comparison by explaining how reduced emissions benefit people and weighing this against practical costs such as fewer travel options or higher costs for businesses.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for environmental and business effects, and a conclusion. This makes the main line of argument easy to follow. You also use signposting such as “Moreover,” “For example,” and “In conclusion.” At times, however, the links between ideas are mechanical or unclear. The first example moves from flight limits caused by fog to environmental benefits without explaining the connection to voluntary reductions. In the business paragraph, the chain from reduced passenger numbers to losses and unemployment is understandable but compressed. The conclusion repeats the two-sided position rather than clearly stating which side outweighs the other. Use clearer links and make the comparison explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “air pollution,” “fuel engines,” “economically,” and “unemployed,” and you attempt more formal expressions such as “conscious decision” and “considerable amount.” This gives you enough language to communicate the main ideas, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, sometimes making the meaning less precise. For example, “smoke exhaled by the fuel engines” and “environmental stressors” do not express the intended ideas naturally; “emissions produced by aircraft engines” and “environmental pressures” would be clearer. Spelling errors such as “enviornmental,” “bussiness,” and “psoitive” are also noticeable. Focus on accurate topic collocations and proofread spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses linked with “as a result of which” and “because,” and the overall meaning is generally recoverable. However, some sentence structures are faulty or overloaded. In the opening, “reducing the number of flying can give … benefits … but this can also give” has problems with the noun phrase and parallel construction. There are also errors in agreement and verb forms, as in “if there is decline … than it will also cause” and “the air company goes into a severe loss.” Articles and possessives are inconsistent, for example “an air line” and “in it's business.” Break long sentences into clearer units, check subject–verb agreement and tense, and review articles and possessive forms.

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