Band 8.5 model answer: advantages and disadvantages

A band 8.5 model answer to a real IELTS Writing Task 2 question, with the paragraph plan that fits it. Aim for 250 to 290 words in 40 minutes.

The question

In several countries, wild fish stocks are declining rapidly due to overfishing, and many governments are promoting fish farming (aquaculture) as an alternative source of seafood. Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?

Your 4-paragraph plan

Introduction (40-50 words). Paraphrase the topic and say whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
Body paragraph 1 (80-100 words). The strongest advantage, developed with a concrete example.
Body paragraph 2 (80-100 words). The main disadvantage, developed honestly, then weighed against the advantage.
Conclusion (40-50 words). State your overall judgement: which side wins and why.

The trap in this question type

The question usually asks whether the advantages OUTWEIGH the disadvantages. Answer that comparison directly, not just a list of each.

Band 8.5 model answer

331 words, the length a strong candidate produces in the 40 minutes Task 2 allows (the minimum is 250). Written for this exact question in the official format. Read it once for ideas, then write your own before comparing.

Aquaculture has expanded so quickly that farmed salmon, shrimp and tilapia now account for over half of the seafood eaten worldwide, a shift governments frame as a solution to collapsing wild stocks such as the Grand Banks cod fishery in Canada, which has never recovered since its 1992 closure. On balance, I believe the benefits of this shift outweigh its costs, though the environmental price tag needs careful management rather than blind celebration. The clearest advantage is that fish farming relieves pressure on wild populations while stabilising food supply. Norway's salmon industry, for instance, produces over 1.3 million tonnes annually from pens rather than open ocean, allowing wild Atlantic salmon runs to be left largely untouched. Aquaculture also offers economic advantages that wild fishing cannot match: yields are predictable, prices are stable, and coastal communities in countries like Vietnam have built entire local economies around shrimp ponds, generating steadier employment than the boom-and-bust cycles of open-sea fishing. However, the disadvantages are not trivial. Densely stocked farms are prone to disease and parasite outbreaks, such as the sea lice infestations that have repeatedly forced Chilean salmon farms to use heavy doses of antibiotics, some of which leach into surrounding waters and affect wild fish. Farms built in mangrove areas, as happened extensively in Indonesia during the 1990s shrimp boom, have also destroyed natural coastal buffers, leaving communities more exposed to storm surges. These are genuine costs that campaigners are right to highlight. Yet these problems are largely management failures rather than inherent flaws in the practice itself. Countries that have introduced stricter siting rules and closed-containment systems, such as Scotland's newer land-based salmon farms, have shown that disease transmission and habitat loss can be sharply reduced. Given that wild stocks are declining regardless of what governments do next, the realistic choice is between poorly regulated aquaculture and well-regulated aquaculture, not between farming and an undisturbed ocean. In conclusion, while fish farming carries real environmental risks, its capacity to relieve pressure on depleted wild stocks and support coastal economies means its advantages outweigh its disadvantages, provided governments enforce rigorous environmental standards.

Why this answer earns band 8.5

Quoting 'the realistic choice is between poorly regulated aquaculture and well-regulated aquaculture' shows Task Response by reframing the debate instead of listing generic pros and cons.
The concession in 'these problems are largely management failures rather than inherent flaws' demonstrates a nuanced position expected at band 8+.
'a shift governments frame as' uses a reduced relative clause to pack information efficiently, serving Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
Specific data like 'over 1.3 million tonnes annually' and named cases such as 'Grand Banks cod fishery' give Lexical Resource concrete, topic-specific vocabulary rather than vague generalities.
The cohesive pivot 'Yet these problems are largely management failures' signals a clear shift in argument, aiding Coherence and Cohesion across paragraphs.

The plan, reusable on any question of this type

Intro (40-50 words): paraphrase the issue and state a clear one-sided opinion.
Body 1 (80-90 words): one controlling idea on advantages, with a concrete country example and figures.
Body 2 (80-90 words): one controlling idea on disadvantages, with a different concrete example.
Body 3/Conclusion (70-90 words): concede but reframe the debate, then restate the position firmly.

Phrases worth learning

relieves pressure on	use when arguing one practice reduces strain on a natural resource
boom-and-bust cycles	apt for describing unstable economic sectors like fishing or mining
management failures rather than inherent flaws	strong concession structure for conceding a problem while defending your overall position
closed-containment systems	useful technical-sounding vocabulary for environmental or industrial essays
provided governments enforce rigorous environmental standards	conditional closer that qualifies a conclusion without weakening the main stance

The named fisheries, tonnage figures and country examples here are plausible illustrations, not verified statistics, so treat them as a model for adding texture rather than facts to cite elsewhere.

Questions about this answer

What band is this model answer?

It is written to band 8.5, and the notes under it quote the answer's own words to show why.

How long should my answer to this question be?

Write at least 250 words and aim for 250 to 290 in the 40 minutes Task 2 allows. This model answer is 331 words.

What is the most common mistake on a advantages and disadvantages question?