Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-30

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)

In recent times,some of the general publics are showing interest in reducing or even stopping their flying time annually.This can be helpful for them to reduce their travel cost or eventually saving the money they spend every year for flights and it will also advantage the environment as there will be less carbon emission.But people might not get the oppurtunities to go further countries for their work and travel as well as they might face some financial losses in their business.I personally think the enivironmental benefits of this developement outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses.

Reducing frequency of flights or stop using planes might be beneficial for common people for reducing the expenses they spend to go to another country.At present,everybody wants to go to a different country to have a good time and memory.However,to have a quality experience they need to use planes to go to their favourite destinations which can be costly for them plane tickets are not so cheap.So,not going anywhere through flights might save them the money.Besides,planes usually fly using carbon gas.Excessive uses or carbon gas can be dangerous for the atmosphere and it might result bad for the climate also.Reducing carbon emission can keep the environment healthy and clean.For example,many countries like United Kingdom and Australia are forcing their citizens not to use unnecessary flights if possible.

However,Flights might be essential for some people as it can be associated with their businesses.People need to go to so many countries for job interviews,business meetings and seeking sponsors.Declining their air time might cost them financial losses.Besides, flights can save time for everyone to go to their destination.For example, if people use flight to go to one place instead of using buses,trains,metros it will save their valuable time and it is more comfortable.So without planes they are losing the oppurtunities to go to their destination more comfortably and faster.

Nowadays,people are less keen travelling anywhere using flight.Although,they might face financial losses in their businesses or losing their time travelling using other transports it has some perks also as it will reduce their travel costs and it will be helpful for the environment producing fewer carbon emissions

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you believe the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages, and you address both sides of the question. You give relevant reasons, including reduced travel costs and carbon emissions, alongside the effects on business travel and the time saved by flying. The examples about business meetings and countries discouraging unnecessary flights help illustrate these points. However, some ideas are asserted rather than fully explained. For instance, the claim that fewer flights will keep the environment “healthy and clean” would be stronger with a clearer explanation of how aviation emissions affect climate or air quality. The disadvantages for individuals are also less developed than the business-related points. Extend each main reason with a specific consequence or example to make the comparison more convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph presenting benefits, a paragraph discussing disadvantages, and a concluding statement. Linking expressions such as “However,” “Besides,” and “For example” help signal shifts and supporting details. The progression is generally understandable, although some connections are mechanical or unclear. In the benefits paragraph, the discussion moves from travel costs to carbon emissions without clearly showing how these are separate reasons supporting your position. The conclusion also repeats earlier points rather than drawing them together into a clear final comparison. Improve cohesion by giving each body paragraph a focused central idea, using references such as “this reduction” where the meaning is clear, and making the relationship between examples and claims explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “carbon emission,” “financial losses,” “business meetings,” and “destinations.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “seeking sponsors.” However, word choice and collocation are often inaccurate or repetitive, which sometimes makes the reader pause. Phrases such as “general publics,” “reducing their flying time,” and “Excessive uses or carbon gas” are not natural ways to express these ideas; “the general public,” “flying less often,” and “excessive carbon emissions” would be clearer. Spelling errors, including “oppurtunities,” “enivironmental,” and “developement,” also affect accuracy. Build a bank of natural collocations for travel, aviation, and environmental impacts, and proofread spelling carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including contrast clauses with “However” and a conditional structure in “if people use flight … it will save their valuable time.” Most of the main ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors make sentences awkward or obscure the intended relationship. For example, “This can be helpful for them to reduce their travel cost or eventually saving the money” mixes verb forms, while “planes usually fly using carbon gas” lacks a clear grammatical expression of the fuel and emissions involved. There are also issues with articles, plurals, and sentence boundaries, as in “use flight” and the run-on sentence beginning “which can be costly for them plane tickets.” Practise consistent verb patterns and divide long sentences into complete, clearly punctuated units.

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