Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-02

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)

The environmental benefits of reducing the number of times people fly every year or to stop flying altogether does not out weigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses.

The people who decided this may have there own point of view however the some number of people can not have a desire effects and benefits on the environment. As the world population is growning day by day so the need for flying is increasing as well. The number of operations by airline are expanding everyday and there are more airlines then ever before due to increase demand.

If people fly less there are more disadvantages such as there would be less mean for transportation of air cargo goods as there are alot of things which need to be made available rapidly such as medical supplies and equipment. So on the individual level if someone need to travel abroad for their treatment flying is neccesary as sailing via sea take much longer. Other example for the individual level is that if someone want to meet their loved ones they can get from one corner of world to other just in few hours where as traveling via land or sea take much longer days or weeks maybe even months.

Some business heavily relies on flying such as the air cargo business other businesses example include that if some has meeting in London and the next day they need to be in India for product launch the effective mean of transportation is by air and large number of people work in this industry and if it stops their would be so much unemployment large companies may go bankcorrupt. While reducing the flying doesnt put much impact as airline continue to operate their operation with as low as minimum number of passengers such as in covid flight operation was reduced but wasn't shut down completely.

The environmental benefits are possible only in one way if the flying stop permanently and there's some other mean for transportation as quick and reliable which maybe possible only by teleportation or with the success of science in coming years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear overall view: you argue that reducing flights would bring greater disadvantages than environmental benefits, and you discuss effects on individuals and businesses. Examples such as urgent medical supplies, overseas treatment, family visits and business travel are relevant. However, the environmental side of the comparison is barely explained: the final paragraph says benefits would arise only if flying stopped permanently, but does not identify or explain benefits such as lower emissions or reduced air pollution. Several claims about unemployment and companies going bankrupt are also asserted rather than supported. Develop both sides of the question and explain why your examples support your judgement; this would make the response more complete and convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from your position to general demand, individual effects, business effects and a concluding point. Paragraphing helps distinguish these topics, and examples give the reader a basic route through your argument. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear: the opening of the second paragraph shifts from people’s views to population growth and airline expansion without showing how these points connect. Linking phrases such as “So” and “Other example” are repetitive or awkward, while the final paragraph introduces a new condition rather than clearly summarising the comparison. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each example explicitly to the claim it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some task-relevant vocabulary, including “air cargo,” “medical supplies,” “product launch” and “unemployment,” which helps communicate the main examples. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, sometimes making the meaning less clear. For instance, “desire effects and benefits on the environment” does not express the intended idea, and “mean for transportation” is not a natural phrase. Spelling errors such as “neccesary,” “bankcorrupt” and “growning” are also noticeable. Build a more precise range for discussing environmental impacts and economic consequences, and check spelling and collocations during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences and use conditional forms, for example, “If people fly less there are more disadvantages,” as well as clauses explaining reasons and examples. However, sentence structures are often faulty, and errors in agreement, verb forms, articles and sentence boundaries occur frequently enough to make parts difficult to follow. Examples include “the environmental benefits … does not,” “the world population is growning,” and “if someone need to travel.” Some sentences also run together, particularly in the business paragraph, where several claims are joined without clear punctuation. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and complete sentence patterns, then proofread longer sentences by separating distinct ideas.

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