This is my IELTS writing task 2 sample answer essay on the topic of flights and flying.

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IELTS Essay: Flights and Flying

Long distance flight consumes the amount of fuel that a car uses for many years and pollutes the air. Some people think that we should discourage non-essential flights, such as tourists travel, rather than limit the use of cars.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Air travel consumes enormous amounts of fuel, especially long-haul flights, and contributes significantly to pollution. Some argue that instead of restricting car usage, we should discourage unnecessary air travel. I believe this contention possesses merit and should be pursued by the relevant authorities.

Critics argue that private cars are also a major source of pollution. Unlike airplanes, which carry hundreds of passengers at once, most cars contain just one or two people. In cities like Los Angeles, traffic congestion causes vehicles to idle for hours, producing tons of CO2 daily. Relatedly, urban sprawl encourages excessive car dependency, leading to chronic air pollution and health issues such as asthma and lung disease. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that over 4 million premature deaths per year are linked to air pollution, much of it from vehicles. Given these facts, it seems unfair to blame flights alone while ignoring the impact of car travel. This is particularly the case as flights connect families and cultures in ways that cars never could. A grandmother in India can visit her grandchildren in Canada within a day. A student from Brazil can study abroad in Australia, broadening their educational and career opportunities. If flights were severely restricted, it would not only damage economies but also isolate people from loved ones and life-changing experiences.

However, it is undeniable that long-distance flights burn an extraordinary amount of fuel. A single trip from London to Sydney, for instance, uses many thousands of liters of fuel, equivalent to what an average car would consume over many years. Airplanes release emissions directly into the upper atmosphere, where they linger longer and contribute disproportionately to climate change. This makes non-essential air travel a major contributor to carbon footprints. Many nations, such as Thailand for example, amass over 20% of the GDP comes from tourism. If international tourists were discouraged from flying, although millions of jobs in hotels, restaurants, and transportation would disappear, it would encourage the growth of sustainable industries outside of tourism. Such a pivot would be a negative in the short-term but yield long-term benefits not only for any nation dependent on tourism, but more importantly, for the global health of the environment.

In conclusion, flights contribute significantly to pollution and should be targeted to reduce emissions generally. Investing in better transport infrastructure, promoting electric vehicles, and implementing sustainable tourism policies would also help address the issue without harming economies or restricting essential travel.

Analysis

1. Air travel consumes enormous amounts of fuel, especially long-haul flights, and contributes significantly to pollution. Some argue that instead of restricting car usage, we should discourage unnecessary air travel. 2. I believe this contention possesses merit and should be pursued by the relevant authorities.

1. Paraphrase the overall essay topic.
2. Write a clear opinion. Read more about introductions here.

1. Critics argue that private cars are also a major source of pollution. 2. Unlike airplanes, which carry hundreds of passengers at once, most cars contain just one or two people. 3. In cities like Los Angeles, traffic congestion causes vehicles to idle for hours, producing tons of CO2 daily. 4. Relatedly, urban sprawl encourages excessive car dependency, leading to chronic air pollution and health issues such as asthma and lung disease. 5. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that over 4 million premature deaths per year are linked to air pollution, much of it from vehicles. 6. Given these facts, it seems unfair to blame flights alone while ignoring the impact of car travel. 7. This is particularly the case as flights connect families and cultures in ways that cars never could. 8. A grandmother in India can visit her grandchildren in Canada within a day. 9. A student from Brazil can study abroad in Australia, broadening their educational and career opportunities. 10. If flights were severely restricted, it would not only damage economies but also isolate people from loved ones and life-changing experiences.

1. Write a topic sentence with a clear main idea at the end.
2. Explain your main idea.
3. Develop it with specific or hypothetical examples.
4. Keep developing it fully.
5. Better to have more detail.
6. You can vary long and short sentences.
7. I did some research for this essay, so yours can be more general.
8. Avoid over-generalizing.
9. Or making claims that are too strong.
10. This essay is a bit long – aim more for 275 words.

1. However, it is undeniable that long-distance flights burn an extraordinary amount of fuel. 2. A single trip from London to Sydney, for instance, uses many thousands of liters of fuel, equivalent to what an average car would consume over many years. 3. Airplanes release emissions directly into the upper atmosphere, where they linger longer and contribute disproportionately to climate change. 4. This makes non-essential air travel a major contributor to carbon footprints. 5. Many nations, such as Thailand for example, amass over 20% of the GDP comes from tourism. 6. If international tourists were discouraged from flying, although millions of jobs in hotels, restaurants, and transportation would disappear, it would encourage the growth of sustainable industries outside of tourism. 7. Such a pivot would be a negative in the short-term but yield long-term benefits not only for any nation dependent on tourism, but more importantly, for the global health of the environment.

1. Write a new topic sentence with a new main idea at the end.
2. Explain your new main idea.
3. Include specific details and examples.
4. Add as much information as you can and make sure it links logically.
5. This is the side I agree with so the ideas should be stronger.
6. Keep adding detail.
7. Remember this essay is a bit long – aim for about 275 words.

1. In conclusion, flights contribute significantly to pollution and should be targeted to reduce emissions generally. 2. Investing in better transport infrastructure, promoting electric vehicles, and implementing sustainable tourism policies would also help address the issue without harming economies or restricting essential travel.

1. Summarise your main ideas.
2. Include a final thought. Read more about conclusions here.

Vocabulary

What do the words in bold below mean? Make some notes on paper to aid memory and then check below.

Air travel consumes enormous amounts of fuel, especially long-haul flights, and contributes significantly to pollution. Some argue that instead of restricting car usage, we should discourage unnecessary air travel. I believe this contention possesses merit and should be pursued by the relevant authorities.

Critics argue that private cars are also a major source of pollution. Unlike airplanes, which carry hundreds of passengers at once, most cars contain just one or two people. In cities like Los Angeles, traffic congestion causes vehicles to idle for hours, producing tons of CO2 daily. Relatedly, urban sprawl encourages excessive car dependency, leading to chronic air pollution and health issues such as asthma and lung disease. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that over 4 million premature deaths per year are linked to air pollution, much of it from vehicles. Given these facts, it seems unfair to blame flights alone while ignoring the impact of car travel. This is particularly the case as flights connect families and cultures in ways that cars never could. A grandmother in India can visit her grandchildren in Canada within a day. A student from Brazil can study abroad in Australia, broadening their educational and career opportunities. If flights were severely restricted, it would not only damage economies but also isolate people from loved ones and life-changing experiences.

However, it is undeniable that long-distance flights burn an extraordinary amount of fuel. A single trip from London to Sydney, for instance, uses many thousands of liters of fuel, equivalent to what an average car would consume over many years. Airplanes release emissions directly into the upper atmosphere, where they linger longer and contribute disproportionately to climate change. This makes non-essential air travel a major contributor to carbon footprints. Many nations, such as Thailand for example, amass over 20% of the GDP comes from tourism. If international tourists were discouraged from flying, although millions of jobs in hotels, restaurants, and transportation would disappear, it would encourage the growth of sustainable industries outside of tourism. Such a pivot would be a negative in the short-term but yield long-term benefits not only for any nation dependent on tourism, but more importantly, for the global health of the environment.

In conclusion, flights contribute significantly to pollution and should be targeted to reduce emissions generally. Investing in better transport infrastructure, promoting electric vehicles, and implementing sustainable tourism policies would also help address the issue without harming economies or restricting essential travel.

Answers

For extra practice, write an antonym (opposite word) on a piece of paper to help you remember the new vocabulary:

• Air travel → Aviation
• Consumes enormous amounts of fuel → Uses vast quantities of fuel
• Long-haul flights → Extended-distance air journeys
• Contributes significantly to → Plays a major role in
• Instead of restricting car usage → Rather than limiting automobile use
• Discourage unnecessary air travel → Reduce non-essential flying
• I believe this contention possesses merit → I find this argument valid
• Should be pursued by the relevant authorities → Must be implemented by responsible agencies
• Critics argue that private cars → Detractors claim personal vehicles
• A major source of pollution → A significant contributor to environmental degradation
• Unlike → In contrast to
• Carry hundreds of passengers at once → Transport large numbers of people simultaneously
• Contain → Include
• Traffic congestion causes vehicles to idle for hours → Gridlock results in cars sitting idle for extended periods
• Producing tons of CO2 daily → Emitting vast amounts of carbon dioxide every day
• Relatedly → Similarly
• Urban sprawl encourages excessive car dependency → Expanding cities promote overreliance on automobiles
• Leading to chronic air pollution and health issues → Resulting in persistent smog and medical conditions
• Asthma and lung disease → Respiratory illnesses such as bronchitis and emphysema
• In fact → Indeed
• Reports → Studies indicate
• Over 4 million premature deaths per year are linked to air pollution → More than 4 million early fatalities annually are attributed to poor air quality
• Much of it from → A large portion stemming from
• Given these facts → Considering this evidence
• Unfair → Unjustified
• Blame flights alone → Solely hold air travel responsible
• Ignoring the impact of car travel → Overlooking the role of road transport
• This is particularly the case as flights connect families and cultures in ways that → This is especially true as air travel bridges loved ones and global communities
• Within a day → In mere hours
• Study abroad → Pursue education overseas
• Broadening their educational and career opportunities → Expanding academic and professional prospects
• If flights were severely restricted → Were air travel to be heavily limited
• Damage economies → Harm financial systems
• Isolate people from loved ones and life-changing experiences → Cut individuals off from family and transformative opportunities
• It is undeniable that → There is no doubt that
• Burn an extraordinary amount of fuel → Consume an immense quantity of energy
• A single trip from → One journey between
• Liters of fuel → Gallons of aviation fuel
• An average car → A typical vehicle
• Release emissions directly into the upper atmosphere → Discharge pollutants high in the sky
• Linger longer and contribute disproportionately to climate change → Persist in the atmosphere and accelerate global warming
• Major contributor to carbon footprints → Significant driver of greenhouse gas emissions
• Amass → Accumulate
• Disappear → Fade away
• Encourage the growth of sustainable industries outside of tourism → Support the expansion of eco-friendly sectors beyond travel
• Pivot → Shift focus
• In the short-term → Initially
• Yield long-term benefits → Generate lasting advantages
• Nation dependent on tourism → Economy reliant on visitors
• But more importantly, → More critically,
• The global health of the environment → The planet’s ecological well-being
• Targeted → Focused
• Generally → Broadly speaking
• Investing in better transport infrastructure → Funding improved transit systems
• Promoting electric vehicles → Advocating for zero-emission cars
• Implementing sustainable tourism policies → Enforcing eco-conscious travel regulations
• Address the issue without harming economies or restricting essential travel → Tackle the problem while preserving financial stability and necessary mobility

Pronunciation

Practice saying the vocabulary below and use this tip about Google voice search:

eə ˈtrævᵊl

kənˈsjuːmz ɪˈnɔːməs əˈmaʊnts ɒv ˈfjuːəl

lɒŋ-hɔːl flaɪts

kənˈtrɪbjuːts sɪɡˈnɪfɪkᵊntli tuː

ɪnˈstɛd ɒv rɪˈstrɪktɪŋ kɑː ˈjuːzɪʤ

dɪˈskʌrɪʤ ʌnˈnɛsəsɛri eə ˈtrævᵊl

aɪ bɪˈliːv ðɪs kənˈtɛnʃᵊn pəˈzɛsɪz ˈmɛrɪt

ʃʊd biː pəˈsjuːd baɪ ðə ˈrɛləvᵊnt ɔːˈθɒrətiz

ˈkrɪtɪks ˈɑːɡjuː ðæt ˈpraɪvət kɑːz

ə ˈmeɪʤə sɔːs ɒv pəˈluːʃᵊn

ʌnˈlaɪk

ˈkæri ˈhʌndrədz ɒv ˈpæsɪnʤəz æt wʌns

kənˈteɪn

ˈtræfɪk kənˈʤɛsʧᵊn ˈkɔːzɪz ˈvɪəkᵊlz tuː ˈaɪdᵊl fɔːr aʊəz

prəˈdjuːsɪŋ tʌnz ɒv kəʊ2 ˈdeɪli

rɪˈleɪtɪdli

ˈɜːbᵊn sprɔːl ɪnˈkʌrɪʤɪz ɪkˈsɛsɪv kɑː dɪˈpɛndənsi

ˈliːdɪŋ tuː ˈkrɒnɪk eə pəˈluːʃᵊn ænd hɛlθ ˈɪʃuːz

ˈæsmə ænd lʌŋ dɪˈziːz

ɪn fækt

rɪˈpɔːts

ˈəʊvə 4 ˈmɪljən ˈprɛməʧə dɛθs pɜː jɪər ɑː lɪŋkt tuː eə pəˈluːʃᵊn

mʌʧ ɒv ɪt frɒm

ˈɡɪvᵊn ðiːz fækts

ʌnˈfeə

bleɪm flaɪts əˈləʊn

ɪɡˈnɔːrɪŋ ði ˈɪmpækt ɒv kɑː ˈtrævᵊl

ðɪs ɪz pəˈtɪkjələli ðə keɪs æz flaɪts kəˈnɛkt ˈfæmᵊliz ænd ˈkʌlʧəz ɪn weɪz ðæt

wɪˈðɪn ə deɪ

ˈstʌdi əˈbrɔːd

ˈbrɔːdᵊnɪŋ ðeər ˌɛʤʊˈkeɪʃᵊnᵊl ænd kəˈrɪər ˌɒpəˈʧuːnətiz

ɪf flaɪts wɜː sɪˈvɪəli rɪˈstrɪktɪd

ˈdæmɪʤ ɪˈkɒnəmiz

ˈaɪsəleɪt ˈpiːpᵊl frɒm lʌvd wʌnz ænd laɪf-ˈʧeɪnʤɪŋ ɪkˈspɪəriənsɪz

ɪt ɪz ˌʌndɪˈnaɪəbᵊl ðæt

bɜːn ən ɪkˈstrɔːdᵊnᵊri əˈmaʊnt ɒv ˈfjuːəl

ə ˈsɪŋɡᵊl trɪp frɒm

ˈliːtəz ɒv ˈfjuːəl

ən ˈævᵊrɪʤ kɑː

rɪˈliːs ɪˈmɪʃᵊnz daɪˈrɛktli ˈɪntuː ði ˈʌpər ˈætməsfɪə

ˈlɪŋɡə ˈlɒŋɡər ænd kənˈtrɪbjuːt ˌdɪsprəˈpɔːʃᵊnətli tuː ˈklaɪmət ʧeɪnʤ

ˈmeɪʤə kənˈtrɪbjətə tuː ˈkɑːbᵊn ˈfʊtprɪnts

əˈmæs

ˌdɪsəˈpɪə

ɪnˈkʌrɪʤ ðə ɡrəʊθ ɒv səˈsteɪnəbᵊl ˈɪndəstriz ˌaʊtˈsaɪd ɒv ˈtʊərɪzᵊm

ˈpɪvət

ɪn ðə ˌʃɔːtˈtɜːm

jiːld ˈlɒŋtɜːm ˈbɛnɪfɪts

ˈneɪʃᵊn dɪˈpɛndənt ɒn ˈtʊərɪzᵊm

bʌt mɔːr ɪmˈpɔːtᵊntli,

ðə ˈɡləʊbᵊl hɛlθ ɒv ði ɪnˈvaɪrᵊnmənt

ˈtɑːɡɪtɪd

ˈʤɛnᵊrᵊli

ɪnˈvɛstɪŋ ɪn ˈbɛtə ˈtrænspɔːt ˈɪnfrəˌstrʌkʧə

prəˈməʊtɪŋ ɪˈlɛktrɪk ˈvɪəkᵊlz

ˈɪmplɪmɛntɪŋ səˈsteɪnəbᵊl ˈtʊərɪzᵊm ˈpɒləsiz

əˈdrɛs ði ˈɪʃuː wɪˈðaʊt ˈhɑːmɪŋ ɪˈkɒnəmiz ɔː rɪˈstrɪktɪŋ ɪˈsɛnʃᵊl ˈtrævᵊl

Vocabulary Practice

I recommend getting a pencil and piece of paper because that aids memory. Then write down the missing vocabulary from my sample answer in your notebook:

Air _______l consumes ________________________l, especially long-haul ____s, and contributes _________________o pollution. Some argue that instead __________________e, we should discourage ____________________l. I ___________________________________t and should ___________________________s.

Critics _____________________s are also a ___________________n. U_____e airplanes, which carry _____________________e, most cars contain just one or two people. In cities like Los Angeles, traffic _______________________________s, producing ___________y. R________y, urban _____________________________________y, leading __________________________s such as asthma ___________e. I_______t, the World Health Organization (WHO) r_____s that over __________________________________________________n, much _______m vehicles. Given __________s, it seems u_____r to blame ___________e while ignoring ______________________l. This ______________________________________________________________________________t cars never could. A grandmother in India can visit her grandchildren in Canada within _y. A_____ student from Brazil can study ______d in Australia, broadening ________________________________________s. If ____________________d, it would not only damage __________s but also isolate _______________________s.

However, it ________________t long-distance flights burn _____________________________l. A ______________m London to Sydney, for instance, uses many thousands of liters _______l, equivalent to what an _________r would consume over many years. Airplanes release _____________________________________e, where they linger __________________________________________________e. This makes non-essential air travel a major ___________________________s. Many nations, such as Thailand for example, a_______s over 20% of the GDP comes from tourism. If international tourists were discouraged from flying, although millions of jobs in hotels, restaurants, and transportation would d__________r, it would encourage ________________________________________________m. Such a p_____t would be a negative in ________m but yield ___________s not only for any nation _________________m, but _________________y, for the _____________________t.

In conclusion, flights contribute significantly to pollution and should be t________d to reduce emissions g_______y. Investing _____________________________e, promoting ____________s, and implementing _________________s would also help address ____________________________________________________l.

Listening Practice

Learn more about this topic by watching from YouTube below and practice with these activities:

Reading Practice

Read more about this topic and use these ideas to practice:

https://carbonmarketwatch.org/2024/07/31/summer-hot-ticket-why-flying-has-twice-the-climate-impact-youd-expect/

Speaking Practice

Practice with the following speaking questions from the real IELTS speaking exam:

Flying

1. Are there many airlines in your country?
2. Have you ever flown anywhere?
3. Where would you like to fly?
4. Are you scared of flying?

Writing Practice

Practice with the related IELTS essay topic:

Developing the economy will always damage the environment.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample Answer Essay: The Economy & the Environment (Real Past IELTS Exams/Tests)