Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-10

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people say that the main environmental problem of our time is the loss of particular species of plants and animals. Others say that there are more important environmental problems.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

Nowadays, many people say that in our time , the main issue of our environment is the extinction of a particular type of plants and animals. Meanwhile, others think that they are more significant problems that affect our environment .From my point of view , I believe that both arguments are reasonable and well-defined.

Firstly, there are many animals and plants that are disappearing for the past years . This is because some animals not protected by the government are hunted by hunters, some are even seen as a source of food hence , reducing the number of the species . Also, some trees and plants are cut down wiithout replanting new ones that can lead to global warming thereby impacting our environment negatively. For example, In my home country some animals such as cats are seen as asource of food, reducing the number of cats in our evironment.

Turning to the people who say that there are more crucial environmental problems. From my little knowledge, one of them is pollution. Waste products can be an example of the issues our environment faces. This is because some people throw gabage in the environment rather than throwing in dust bins. Moreover, some people do it without seperating the gabage in to bottles ,plastics and paper. As a result, polluting the environment .

To conclude, from my point of view, a problem is never very significant or less important . I believe that, both the extinction of particular plants and animals and other major environmental problems have negative effects on our environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both views by discussing species loss and pollution, and your conclusion makes your position clear that both are serious. However, the discussion is only partly developed: the first view includes hunting and tree-felling, while the second is represented mainly by litter and waste sorting. The example that cats are eaten in your home country is relevant in principle, but it is not explained or connected convincingly to the loss of species. Your opening says both arguments are “reasonable,” but the conclusion does not explain how you weigh them or why you consider them equally important. Develop each view with a clearer explanation and a specific, credible example, then state which view you find more persuasive or why you regard them as equally serious.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “Firstly,” “Turning to,” and “To conclude” help readers follow this structure. Within paragraphs, however, some links are mechanical or unclear. For example, “As a result, polluting the environment” is an incomplete sentence, and the connection between tree-felling and global warming would benefit from a more explicit explanation. The repeated use of “some” also makes the development feel list-like. Use linking expressions to show cause and consequence within complete sentences, and make references such as “they” in the introduction more precise so readers can identify what it refers to.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “extinction,” “species,” “pollution,” and “global warming,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or imprecise, such as “a particular type of plants and animals,” “more crucial environmental problems,” and “dust bins.” Spelling errors including “wiithout,” “gabage,” and “seperating” also reduce accuracy. Some expressions, such as “from my little knowledge,” sound unnatural in this context. Build a more precise environmental vocabulary and check spelling carefully. For example, use terms such as “habitat destruction,” “waste disposal,” and “endangered species” where they accurately describe your point.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including cause-and-effect clauses with “because” and “as a result.” Meaning is usually recoverable, but some grammatical errors and punctuation problems remain. For example, “some animals not protected by the government are hunted” needs a clearer relative clause (“animals that are not protected”), while “This is because some people throw…” is followed by the fragment “As a result, polluting the environment.” The opening also has awkward sentence boundaries and spacing around punctuation. Practise forming complete sentences when expressing results, and check verb forms, articles, and clause structure. A clearer version would be: “As a result, this waste pollutes the environment.”

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