Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-13

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)

In the modern era, serious environmental issues are increasing rapidly.While some argue that the main environmental problem is the extiction of certain species of plants and animals, others contend that there are several environmental issues.While damage of the ecosystem causes loss of plants and animals due to lack of habitat, i believe it also leads to several problems including climate change and poor quality of air and water

On the one hand, a number of people argue that enviromental pollution causes loss of plants and animals only. Damage of the habitat where animals dwell in may lead to their extinction, which reduces their population and may even cause death.Similarly, practices such as deforestation clears certain plant types and ultimately causes their loss. For example , forests are home for a considerable number of animals and trees, therefore clearing them may result in death and migration of animals to other places in search of habitat.

On the other hand, there are numerous environmental problems nowadays. Human activities such as carbon emmision from industries causes climate change and poor quality of air. As carbon rises up through the atmosphere it pollutes the air, and causes global warming which inturn leads to acid rain. The acid rain pollutes the water bodies where aquatic animals lives causing their death.For instance, use of private vehicles by many people causes considerable increase in carbon emmited into the atmosphere ,therefore people should opt for public transport which reduces traffic congestion and less pollution.From my perspective, there are numerous environmental problems in the recent days.

In conclusion, although pollution causes extinction of certain plant and animal species, it also leads to climate change, poor air quality and contamination of water bodies.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both views and give a position, particularly in the final body paragraph, where you argue that environmental problems extend beyond species loss. Relevant examples include deforestation and vehicle emissions. However, the first view is not represented accurately: the prompt says species loss is the main environmental problem, whereas you write that pollution causes species loss “only,” which narrows and distorts that argument. Your own opinion is also stated rather generally (“there are numerous environmental problems”) rather than explaining which problem you consider most serious and why. The links between emissions, acid rain and harm to aquatic life need clearer, more accurate explanation. Develop each side more fully and make your comparative judgement explicit throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion. Signposts such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the discussion. Within paragraphs, examples generally follow the claims they support. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “therefore” joins the forest claim and its consequence, while the sentence about private vehicles combines a recommendation with an unclear result. The conclusion repeats the main points but does not resolve which environmental problem you consider most important. Improve progression by making each paragraph develop one central claim, using precise references and linking phrases only where the relationship between ideas is clear.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant environmental vocabulary, including “extinction,” “habitat,” “deforestation,” “carbon emission,” and “global warming,” which allows you to address the topic. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “water bodies” and “traffic congestion.” However, spelling errors are noticeable, including “extiction,” “enviromental,” and “emmited,” and some word combinations are inaccurate or awkward: “animals dwell in,” “carbon rises up,” and “clears certain plant types.” The phrase “pollution causes loss of plants and animals only” also uses vocabulary in a way that misrepresents the task’s first view. Build accuracy by checking spelling and learning environmental collocations in context, such as “destroy habitats” and “species become extinct.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, using clauses with “while,” “which,” and “as,” as well as cause-and-effect structures. Most ideas remain understandable, but errors in agreement, articles, plurals and punctuation recur. For example, “carbon emission from industries causes” needs a plural subject and matching verb, while “aquatic animals lives” has a subject–verb agreement error. In “practices such as deforestation clears,” the subject and verb do not agree; “deforestation” also needs a more suitable grammatical construction. Several sentences run together without spaces after full stops, and commas are sometimes used to join clauses. Review agreement and sentence boundaries, then proofread each complex sentence to ensure its clauses are correctly connected.

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