Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

Some folks believe that the main factor for environmental issues of recent times is due to the loss of certain species of flora and fauna. While others state that there are more factors contributing to environmental problems.

The main reason why people think that loss of flora and fauna affects environment is because they help maintaining the cycle and equillibrium of nature. This is true to a certain degree. Plants are one of the major contributors of climate and animals complete the food chain. For instance, recent cases of global warming is mainly due to deforestation. Even when a certain species of animal goes extinct there will be a gap in the food chain and it could have an indirect impact on the balance of the ecosystem. To be more specific, birds and some insects helps in spreading seeds and pollination. This biodiversity is very important for the environment.

However, this is not the sole origin of environmental issues. There are countless factors such as air pollution, industrial waste, greenhouse gases, carbon emission and much more. To exemplify this, Carbon emission from the transports and vehicles has an adverse effect to the environment, Ozone in particular. Another day to day example is the emission of chlorofluro carbon from refrigerators and air conditioners. These are silently affecting the environment. Even poor waste management has a huge impact on our ecosystem. People are careless and dump garbages on the lands, water bodies etc. Every single daily happenings such as air crafts flying, oil leaks from ships, smoke can eventually lead to a negative impact on environment.

In conclusion, Eventhough the part of animal and plant kingdom is essential for our environment, there are vario

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You discuss both views: the first body paragraph explains how species loss can disrupt food chains, seed dispersal and pollination, while the next gives other environmental concerns such as emissions and waste. However, the response does not fully complete the task because the conclusion is cut off at “there are vario…”, so your own position is never clearly stated. Some supporting claims also need more precise explanation: for example, the link between deforestation and global warming is asserted rather than developed, and the ozone example is not clearly connected to the stated emissions. Finish with a direct opinion and explain which problem you consider most serious, with a relevant reason or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, moving from an introduction to one paragraph for each view, and signposts such as “For instance,” “However,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the discussion. The examples are generally placed alongside the ideas they support. However, the progression is weakened by the unfinished conclusion, which leaves the argument without a clear ending or final position. Some linking is also mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “For instance,” “To be more specific,” and “To exemplify this.” The second body paragraph gathers many separate examples in a list, so grouping them—for example, emissions together and waste management separately—would make the relationships between ideas clearer.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “flora and fauna,” “food chain,” “biodiversity,” “greenhouse gases,” and “waste management.” These terms make the subject clear, and some less common expressions are attempted. At times, however, word choice or collocation is inaccurate or informal: “Some folks” is too conversational for this essay, “affects environment” is missing a natural article, and “adverse effect to the environment” is not the usual phrasing. There are also spelling errors in “equillibrium” and “chlorofluro carbon,” and “garbages” is not the appropriate plural form here. Aim for precise academic phrasing and check spelling of technical terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional structure in “Even when a certain species of animal goes extinct…” and a contrastive opening with “While others…”. Meaning is usually understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “the main factor … is due to” combines two structures awkwardly, “they help maintaining” needs a different verb pattern, and “recent cases … is” has subject–verb disagreement. There are also errors in “birds and some insects helps” and “People … dump garbages,” as well as inconsistent capitalisation after sentence boundaries. Review verb agreement, verb patterns, and sentence completion; in particular, ensure the final sentence is complete.

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