I recently wrote this band 8-8.5 essay for a task from Cambridge IELTS Academic 20. The essay was written on a laptop in about 30 minutes, and I then the spent about 10 minutes editing and revising it. No editing apps, AI tools, or dictionaries were used in the process.
Marking was done by a qualified IELTS writing trainer, as well as two LLMs, namely Perplexity and ChatGPT. These AI agents were properly trained using the updated IELTS writing band descriptors and model answers from Cambridge IELTS series of books.
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?
In light of the revelations regarding the environmental toll that air travel entails, a number of individuals have chosen to fly less frequently or cease flying altogether. I believe the drawbacks of this trend for individuals and industries are more significant than its environmental benefits.
A reduction in air travel can definitely offset the carbon footprint of the tourism industry. Despite recent developments in the design and performance of plane engines, their size and power mean they still create substantially more greenhouse emissions in general than other means of travel, including most cars and trains that run on fossil fuels. If travellers abandon air travel, there will probably be a drop in emissions, which would slow down climate change. Apart from this, there would certainly be less damage to biodiversity. Huge swaths of animal habitats and ecosystems are cleared for building or expanding airports. The construction of the fifth terminal at London Heathrow, which will redirect five rivers and destroy several parks in the area, is a case in point. Fewer flights can limit these impacts.
However, travelling by other means tends to be less convenient. Trains, buses, and cars are far slower than planes, which makes the latter still the most time-efficient means of transport for long journeys. For intercontinental travel across oceans, the alternative would be cruise ships, which take weeks instead of hours - Europe to Australia would even take over a month.
In addition, decreased demand for air travel would affect jobs in the civil aviation sector. It would reduce the number of crew members necessary to operate flights, and fewer ground technicians, caterers, air traffic controllers, and other airport and airline staff would also be required to support them. Plane manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus would also see their sales shrink, facing massive layoffs.
In conclusion, although reduced air travel would limit carbon emissions and habitat loss, it is likely to increase travel times and cause unemployment in travel and aerospace industries. Therefore, I personally believe air travel remains preferable for long-distance journeys, while other modes are more justified for short-distance trips.
length: 348 words
TR 8 | CC 8 | LR 8 | GRA 8
Task Response
The essay answers the question directly and keeps a clear position throughout. It discusses both environmental benefits and the disadvantages for individuals and businesses, then gives a justified final opinion. The ideas are relevant and developed with specific support, including emissions, biodiversity, travel time, and employment.
Coherence & Cohesion
The structure is clear and easy to follow, with a logical progression from introduction to environmental benefits, then disadvantages, and finally conclusion. Cohesive devices are used naturally, and paragraphing is appropriate. It is slightly less than Band 9 only because the development is strong rather than fully seamless.
Lexical Resource
The vocabulary is varied and precise, with effective academic phrasing such as “environmental toll,” “offset the carbon footprint,” “biodiversity,” and “civil aviation sector” . There is also good topic-specific language for transport, climate, and employment. The range is strong enough for Band 8 because the wording is generally natural and controlled.
Grammatical Range & Accuracy
Sentence control is strong, and the essay uses a mix of complex and compound structures successfully. Grammar and punctuation are accurate overall, with no errors that distract the reader. It does not quite reach Band 9 because the writing is excellent but not flawless at the very highest level of consistency.