Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 20 · 2026-11-04

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 fast paced world, people love to explore new places and also travel for work by flights. some people believed, they reduced travel by flight or stop flying for environment saving purpose. However, I believe that the benefits of this development outweigh the disadvantages.

On the one hand, there are some benefits of avoid flights to commute. The major benefit to environment, limited use of flights can help to reduce air pollution. Flights are more expensive than other commute options such as bus or trains, eventually it saves individual money. Stop flying would be big contribution to save environment but limited use of flight for commute could also affect better environmental development.

On the other hand, use of flights to commute for work and other purpose have more advantages such as individual could travel with less time. For instance, one who is working in corporate, if he/she wants to attend meeting in the morning at Mumbai and second meeting would be in the evening at Banglore. So for them flight is the best option to commute. Moreover, flying offers significant advantages such as save time for travelling, convenient commute system. It also offers individuals job opportunities, at the airport and various departments of flying commute system.

In conclusion, excessive use of flights for every journey is harmful for our environment. I personally believe limited use of flights are best option. People should use various commute system instead of only depends on flights, and also use public transport like bus and train for short distance travelling. Thus, we can contribute for better environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear overall view that reducing flights is beneficial, and you include relevant points about pollution, cost, time, and employment. However, the response only partly answers the comparison in the question: the environmental benefits are mentioned briefly, while the disadvantages for individuals and businesses are not clearly weighed against them. The Mumbai–Bangalore meeting example illustrates why flying can be useful to an individual, but it does not explain the impact on businesses or show why these disadvantages are outweighed. Your conclusion also recommends limited flying rather than directly summarising why the benefits outweigh the disadvantages. Develop both sides with specific consequences and make the comparison explicit throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs signposted by “On the one hand” and “On the other hand,” and a conclusion. This helps the reader identify the broad contrast. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven: the first body paragraph moves from pollution to cost savings and then repeats the environmental point, without clearly connecting these ideas. The second paragraph combines travel convenience, a meeting example, and airport jobs, but the relationship between these points is not fully explained. Some linking phrases, such as “Moreover” and “Thus,” are used appropriately, but transitions alone do not establish a clear argument. Group related ideas and use each paragraph to develop one main point before linking it to your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “air pollution,” “environmental development,” “job opportunities,” and “public transport,” so the main subject is generally clear. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “significant advantages.” However, the range is limited by repeated use of “commute,” “flights,” and “environment,” and several word choices or collocations sound unnatural, including “environment saving purpose,” “better environmental development,” and “flying commute system.” These expressions sometimes make the intended meaning less precise. Aim for more natural combinations and distinguish clearly between air travel, commuting, and business travel. Check spelling as well: “Banglore” should be “Bangalore.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional example beginning “if he/she wants to attend meeting,” and the overall meaning is usually recoverable. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently in sentence construction, agreement, articles, and verb forms. For example, “some people believed, they reduced travel” has an unclear tense and an incorrect clause connection; “use of flights … have more advantages” has subject–verb disagreement; and “limited use of flights are best option” has agreement and article errors. Punctuation and capitalisation are also inconsistent, as in the lowercase “some” after the opening sentence. Practise building accurate clauses first, then add complex structures, checking each sentence for a clear subject, verb, and appropriate article.

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