IELTS Task 2 Airline Tax Essay

The following essay is on the topic of airline tax.

You are asked to decide if you agree or disagree with taxing airlines in order to reduce the problems that the increasing amount of air traffic can cause.

Air traffic is increasingly leading to more noise, pollution, and airport construction. One reason for this is the growth in low-cost passenger flights, often to holiday destinations.

Some people say that the government should try to reduce air traffic by taxing it more heavily.

Do you agree or disagree?

It is always a good idea to look at both sides of the issue, and this essay does this.

So you need to brainstorm:

1. the reasons why this would be a good solution
2. the reasons why it would not
3. and of course decide which side of the argument you agree with.

Model Airline Tax Essay

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic: Air traffic is increasingly leading to more noise, pollution, and airport construction. One reason for this is the growth in low-cost passenger flights, often to holiday destinations. Some people say that the government should try to reduce air traffic by taxing it more heavily. Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge. Write at least 250 words.

Low-cost Airline Tax – Model Answer

Over recent years, there has been an enormous increase in the amount of air traffic around the world, resulting in various problems, and a major cause of this has been the growth of low-cost airlines. Although some people believe that taxes should be increased on air travel, I disagree.

Those who support taxing airlines believe that this will result in a reduction in this type of travel and thus solve the problems of pollution, noise, and construction. This is because a tax would make the cost of traveling more expensive, which will, they claim, lead to a decrease in demand. Proponents of this solution believe that taxes are fair because everyone has to pay them, and it is a workable solution that will have the additional bonus of providing an income for the government.

However, there are a number of reasons why this is not the right course of action. Firstly, a tax is not fair because it will adversely affect people on lower incomes. Such a tax would have to be a fixed amount paid equally whether you are rich or poor, which means that those on lower incomes would find it more difficult to travel, but it would likely have little effect on the lives of those with a higher income. In addition, such a tax would not work. For example, we have seen taxes increase in most countries on cars, but this has had little effect, with car use continuing to grow.

To sum up, it is evident that introducing heavy taxes on air travel is not fair or workable. If we continue to explore alternatives, we can continue to enjoy the benefits that air travel offers.

(280 Words)

IELTS Score Evaluation for the Given Essay

1. Task Achievement: Band 6.5 – 7.0

✅ Strengths:

• The essay clearly presents a position on the topic and maintains it throughout.
• The argument is well-structured, providing both the opposing viewpoint and counterarguments.
• The conclusion effectively summarizes the main points.

🔻 Areas for Improvement:

• The thesis statement could be stronger. Instead of just saying “I disagree,” it would be better to clarify why (e.g., unfairness and ineffectiveness of the tax).
• Some arguments need more depth. For example, the essay briefly states that car taxes haven’t reduced car usage, but it does not elaborate on why air travel would be similar.

Suggested Improvement:

• Strengthen the thesis by briefly mentioning the two main arguments in the introduction.
• Provide more concrete examples or statistics (e.g., mentioning a specific country where air travel taxes failed or discussing alternative solutions).

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2. Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

✅ Strengths:

• The essay is logically organized with clear paragraphs.
• Transitions such as “however,” “firstly,” “in addition,” “to sum up” help guide the reader.

🔻 Areas for Improvement:

• Some transitions could be more varied and natural.
• The connection between ideas could be smoother. For example, the jump from fairness (low-income vs. high-income travelers) to inefficacy (car tax example) is abrupt.

Suggested Improvement:

• Use a wider range of linking phrases (e.g., “Another reason why taxation would not work is…” instead of “In addition”).
• Ensure logical progression between arguments.

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3. Lexical Resource: Band 7.0 – 7.5

✅ Strengths:

• Good academic vocabulary (“proponents,” “adversely affect,” “workable solution”).
• Synonyms and paraphrasing are used effectively (e.g., “reduction in this type of travel” instead of repeating “taxation would reduce air travel”).

🔻 Areas for Improvement:

• Some phrases could be more precise:
  • “A tax is not fair because it will adversely affect people on lower incomes.”
    → “Taxing air travel disproportionately burdens lower-income individuals.” (More concise and sophisticated)
  • “If we continue to explore alternatives, we can continue to enjoy the benefits that air travel offers.”
    → “Exploring alternative solutions allows us to sustain the benefits of air travel.” (Avoids repetition of “continue” and improves clarity)

Suggested Improvement:

• Use more precise and varied vocabulary to avoid repetition.
• Aim for more complex sentence structures to demonstrate flexibility.

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4. Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5 – 7.0

✅ Strengths:

• Mostly grammatically correct with varied sentence structures.
• Good use of conditionals (“such a tax would have to be a fixed amount…”).

🔻 Areas for Improvement:

• Some sentence structures are slightly awkward:
  • “Taxes are fair because everyone has to pay them, and it is a workable solution that will have the additional bonus of providing an income for the government.”
    → “Taxes are considered fair as they apply to everyone and offer the added benefit of generating government revenue.” (More natural and concise)
• Minor article mistakes and wordiness:
  • “A major cause of this has been the growth of low-cost airlines.”
    → “One major cause is the rise of low-cost airlines.” (More direct)

Suggested Improvement:

• Refine sentence clarity by eliminating wordiness.
• Improve sentence variety by using more complex grammatical structures.

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Overall IELTS Band Score Estimate: 6.5 – 7.0

Criterion	Score
Task Achievement	6.5 – 7.0
Coherence and Cohesion	7.0
Lexical Resource	7.0 – 7.5
Grammatical Range & Accuracy	6.5 – 7.0