Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-29

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 5.0)

The employees working in multi-national companies and the top management of such companies, need to travel alot for their business or work commitments. In addition to it, some people travel internationally or nationally for the holiday purposes. Furthermore, some people also travel for acadamic reasons like international conferences, fellowship programs, or for the scholarships.

The development that some people have decided to reduce the number of times they fly every year or to stop flying altogether, may not result in productive ways.

As to benefit the environment through this development needs large scale of people those would do this. In real, we can observe that not everyone can reduce their time they fly and hence it could not impact the environment benefit on a large scale.

However, this development could lead to the disadvantages an individual or a business can face in terms of their work and productivity. For example, missing a important conference or meeting could result in the delay of a important decision or in the development of the product or an innovative idea. In addition to it, some opportunities that we can avail, only happen once a year and leaving that means they would cost us a whole time until it will happen again.

So it is clear from the opinions i share that the environmental benefits of this development do not outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses. Thus, it can cost alot of disadvantages for individuals and businesses that can directly have a negative impact on their progress.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You give a clear answer: you believe the environmental benefits do not outweigh the disadvantages, and you offer relevant examples involving missed conferences, meetings and business decisions. However, the discussion is only partial and the main claims are not sufficiently explained. For instance, saying that environmental benefits require “large scale of people” does not explain what impact reduced flying could have or why that impact would be limited. The disadvantages are also mostly asserted rather than explored, and the response does not consider possible ways individuals or businesses could adapt. The response contains 234 words, so it is 16 words below the 250-word minimum; the 19 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Develop both sides with clearer reasoning and specific support.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an opening paragraph, a discussion of the environmental effect, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a concluding position. Linking expressions such as “Furthermore,” “However,” and “In addition to it” help signal relationships between points. Nevertheless, progression is limited because the opening lists several kinds of travel without clearly connecting them to the argument, and the environmental paragraph moves quickly from the need for widespread action to the claim that it will not have a large impact. Some connections are also repetitive or awkward, particularly the repeated reference to disadvantages in the conclusion. Organise the essay around one developed point for each side, and use clearer references to show how each example supports your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “business commitments,” “international conferences,” “productivity,” and “innovative idea,” so the reader can follow the general subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are noticeably inaccurate, sometimes making the meaning less natural. Examples include “productive ways” for the effect of the development, “environment benefit,” and “cost alot of disadvantages.” Spelling errors such as “alot” and “acadamic” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise expressions for environmental impact and business consequences, and check spelling and collocations during revision. Replacing repeated general terms with specific vocabulary would make the argument clearer and more convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses beginning “that” and “which,” and most of the main ideas remain understandable. However, the range is limited, and attempts at longer structures often contain errors. For example, “The development … may not result in productive ways” has an unclear grammatical construction, while “As to benefit the environment through this development needs…” is not a complete, well-formed sentence. There are also article and agreement problems in “a important conference” and “a important decision,” as well as inconsistent capitalisation of “i.” Practise building complete sentences with a clear subject and verb, and check articles, agreement and punctuation when combining ideas.

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