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)

Some people have decided to reduce the number of times they fly every year or to stop flying altogether. In my opinion, the environmental benefits of this development outweigh the disadvantages for individuals and businesses because we get more clear and clean atmosphere. Also the usage of fuel will be less restoring natural resources for the future generations.

Aeroplanes or any flying planes like helecopters all need very large amount of fuel for them to work. If we keep flying everyday and all time of the day this fuel will soon going to finish resulting in future generations not having enough resources. Fuel is not only used to drive aeroplanes engines but also used in factories and houses so they will have to face alot of problems if they run out of it. These advantages outweigh the disadvantages for indiviuals and businesses.

The reduction in flying over year will provide us with so many environmental benefits. The smoke from the flying machines pollutes the atmosphere which causes difficulty in breathing both for humans and animals. The birds flying in the air mostly die by hitting the aeroplane which results in number of birds declination. Its smoke can also be a reason for other problems like smog which is a very dangerous disease which can cause skin issues and irritation and also lung cancer. The birds flying in such atmosphere have a short life span than those flying in atmosphere where smoke is not introduced. A clean atmosphere has a positive affect both on human and birds life and health.

So in my conclusion, flying should be reduced because we need a clean and clear atmosphere and environment for our betterment and well development. These environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages for indiviuals and businesses.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you believe the environmental benefits outweigh the disadvantages, and you give relevant reasons about fuel use, air pollution, health and birds. However, the response only partially develops the comparison asked for. The disadvantages for individuals and businesses are not explained; instead, the sentence “These advantages outweigh the disadvantages” asserts the comparison without showing what those disadvantages are or why they matter less. Some environmental claims, such as birds having shorter lives in polluted air, also need clearer support or a relevant example. To strengthen the response, discuss specific costs of reduced flying—such as fewer travel options or business connections—and explain why the environmental gains outweigh them.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and its main focus remains on the environmental effects of flying. Basic links such as “Also,” “The reduction in flying” and “So in my conclusion” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is limited: the first body paragraph moves from fuel consumption to factories and houses without clearly connecting this point to the disadvantages in the question, while the next paragraph lists several pollution effects in succession. Repeated references to a “clean and clear atmosphere” also make the conclusion feel repetitive. Organise each paragraph around one clear claim, explain it, and use more precise referencing and transitions to show how each point supports your comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough topic-related vocabulary to communicate the general argument, including “fuel,” “pollutes the atmosphere,” “smog” and “environmental benefits.” However, the range is limited and several choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, which sometimes makes the meaning less clear. For example, “more clear and clean atmosphere” is unnatural, “birds declination” does not express the intended idea clearly, and “positive affect” confuses two different words. There are also spelling errors such as “helecopters” and “indiviuals.” Aim for more precise environmental and economic vocabulary, and check spelling and common word partnerships. For instance, “air quality” and “decline in bird populations” would express your points more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

Your writing includes mostly straightforward sentence patterns, with some attempts to connect ideas using clauses such as “which causes difficulty in breathing.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur often enough to make some sentences awkward or difficult to follow. In “this fuel will soon going to finish,” the verb construction is faulty; “a very dangerous disease which can cause” also incorrectly identifies smog as a disease. Articles and plurals are inconsistent, as in “need very large amount of fuel,” and the sentence beginning “If we keep flying…” has an unclear structure and tense sequence. Practise accurate verb patterns, articles and plural forms, then combine simple sentences into controlled complex structures. Careful proofreading would also help clarify sentence boundaries and meaning.

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