Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-10-31

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 6.0)

Some individuals have made a decision to reduce the number of times they fly every year or to quit air travel completely. I believe that ecological benefits of flying less are greater than the disadvantages for people and businesses because protecting environment is more important for long-term survival than personal inconvenience.

Generally speaking, there are two main benefits of limiting the frequency of their flights. Perhaps the main benefit of this idea is that flying less reduces pollution. Airplane burns a huge amount of fuel and produces a lot of carbon dioxide, which is the main cause of climate change. If fewer people fly, there will be less air pollution and less damage to the environment. A good illustration of this is that during covid 19 pandemic when flights were stopped, the air became much cleaner in many cities. A further point in favor of air travelling less is that it allows individuals to save money. Because when people fly less, they avoid expensive costs such as flight tickets and accommodation.

On the other hand, there are also some clear disadvantages of flying less or stop flying completely. For people, it means they cannot see their family who live far away from them also they cannot travel different countries on their holidays, as a result they can suffer from mental depression. Also, for a person who wants to study abroad, avoiding air travel may hamper their access to quality education and career opportunities. In term of businesses, it will be more difficult because many companies need to meet with their clients face to face who belongs from various country. If they stop flying, that will affect directly in their businesses.

In conclusion, although some people have chosen to limit or avoid flying, I am convinced that the environmental advantages of this step outweigh the drawbacks for individuals and companies as environmental protection is more crucial.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear from the introduction: you believe the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages, and you return to this view in the conclusion. You address both sides with relevant points, including reduced emissions, personal savings, family separation, education, and business meetings. This covers the task, but some ideas are more fully explained than others. The pollution point has a cause-and-effect explanation and a pandemic example, whereas the claims about mental depression and business impacts are asserted without much support. Develop these points with a specific example or explanation, and make the comparison between environmental gains and individual or commercial costs more explicit. The response meets the stated length requirement; 12 words copied from the task prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph presenting benefits, a paragraph on disadvantages, and a conclusion. The progression from environmental effects to personal and business consequences is easy to follow, and signposts such as “On the other hand” and “In conclusion” help orient the reader. This is a coherent arrangement, with some effective linking, but cohesion is occasionally mechanical or unclear. For example, “Because when people fly less” is an awkward fragment, and the long sentence beginning “For people, it means…” joins several consequences without clear punctuation. Use a wider range of linking methods and clearer referencing, and divide or reshape long sentences so each relationship between ideas is explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “carbon dioxide,” “climate change,” “environmental protection,” and “career opportunities.” There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “hamper their access” and “face to face.” However, noticeable word-choice and collocation problems limit precision: “Airplane burns” needs a more natural subject and verb, “expensive costs” is redundant, and “mental depression” is not the most idiomatic way to describe the possible effect. Some phrases are also imprecise, such as “affect directly in their businesses.” Build accuracy by learning common collocations for travel, emissions, and business impacts, and check word forms and articles when editing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional sentence (“If fewer people fly…”) and a concession structure in the conclusion (“although…”). The main meaning is generally clear, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “Because when people fly less…” is an incomplete sentence, while “who belongs from various country” has problems with agreement, prepositions, and number. In “they cannot see their family… also they cannot travel,” the clauses need clearer punctuation or a conjunction. There are also errors with articles and verb forms, as in “Airplane burns.” Practise building complete sentences and checking agreement, articles, and clause boundaries; this will make your varied structures more controlled.

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

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