Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-28

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)

Almost every year many people choose other modes of travelling instead of flying or some people just quit flying .In my prespective it has more disadvantgaes than advantages.

On the one hand , although flying is expensive in some airlines but is saves alot time also some airlines are cheaper than the other which is economical friendly to the people.

On the other hand , if people quit flying it became very diffcult for every airline to run which cause thousands of people work in every airline such as pilot ,air hostess , security team ,engineers and other labours if people decides not to fly it will effect these people every airline has to downsize to manage budget and alot of petrol consume which helps economy of every country so if people quit flying it not only effect certain company but also effect the country's economy.

Also the more air flying helps country to grow economically also if any airplane lands on another's country airport it means it helps both countries to build a relationship so that they both can help each other in different affairs.

Although reducing the flying time in air it effects the air traffic which helps to redc to golbal warming which is major issue worldwide but global warming can be reduce by other means many scientists world wide working on it .

Overall, flying plays vital role in balancing every counties economy and maintaing jobs in every airline so that ,disadvantages always overweigh the advantages.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You give a clear answer to the question, arguing that the disadvantages of reducing air travel outweigh the environmental benefits. You address both sides: you mention time savings, airline employment and economic effects, then acknowledge that fewer flights could reduce air traffic and global warming. These points are relevant, but some are less fully developed than others. For example, the claim that flying supports relationships between countries is asserted without an example or explanation, and the environmental benefit is quickly dismissed by saying scientists are working on other solutions. To strengthen the response, explain the scale or importance of each effect and support your position with a specific example, while comparing the benefits and disadvantages more directly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has an overall structure, with an introduction, contrasting paragraphs signalled by “On the one hand” and “On the other hand,” and a concluding statement. This helps the reader identify your position and the main sides of the argument. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow: the paragraph beginning “On the other hand” moves from airline jobs to fuel consumption and national economies without clearly showing how each point connects. Several ideas are joined in long sentences, and linking phrases such as “also” are repeated. Use one main idea per paragraph, develop it in a logical sequence, and make references such as “it” and “this” clearly identify the idea being discussed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main argument, including “air traffic,” “global warming,” “economy,” “airline,” and “downsize.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “build a relationship” between countries. However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which can make meaning less clear—for example, “economical friendly,” “petrol consume,” and “reduce the flying time in air.” Spelling errors such as “prespective,” “diffcult,” and “maintaining” also affect the impression of control. Build a bank of accurate topic collocations and check spelling and word forms when editing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a contrast clause beginning “although” and conditional structures such as “if people quit flying.” This shows some range, but complex sentences are often not controlled, and errors sometimes make relationships between ideas hard to follow. For instance, “it became very difficult for every airline to run which cause thousands of people work” has problems with tense, agreement, and the structure after “cause.” There are also recurring issues with articles, plurals, and sentence boundaries, as in “every counties economy.” Practise building shorter, accurate sentences first, then combine related ideas using correctly formed clauses and consistent verb tenses.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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