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)

Few people believe that the main environmental problems of their time is the decrease in number of particular species of plants and animals whereas, others think that there are more important environmental problems. I think environmental problem is very broad which includes climate change, air pollution, water pollution, deforestation, etc. It is not limited to loss of biodiversity but also involve various problems.

On the one hand, the main reason for extinction of particular species is because of loss of habitat. Due to the increasing population, their demands also get increased. To fulfill the needs of growing population, people started cutting down tress which automatically leads animal to become homeless. For example, various medicinal plants, herbs are destroyed which causes scarcity in medicine. It is very hard to manage the habitat for animals because od deforestation.

On the other hand, there are so many problems which we cannot overlooked. Climate change which is one of the recent problem that world is facing today. The increase in pollution and waste is the main factor leading to change in climate. It affected everything including humans, plants and animals because it may lead to acid rain which is very harmful for living beings. In addition to this, water pollution which caused several water-borne diseases like diarrhoea, typhoid, malaria etc. For example, every year people died of water-borne disease consuming those polluted water.There are all because there is no proper management of waste disposal system.

In conclusion, such environmental problems mentioned above should be minimise and the government should take special action regarding the waste disposal for clean and safe environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both views: the first body paragraph explains how habitat loss threatens species, while the next identifies climate change and water pollution as wider concerns. Your opening also signals a broad view of environmental problems. However, the task asks you to discuss both positions and give your own opinion, and your position is not fully clear: saying the problem is “very broad” does not establish which view you consider more important. Some support is also under-developed. For instance, the medicinal-plant example is mentioned but not clearly connected to species loss, and the discussion of water pollution lists effects without comparing its importance with biodiversity loss. State your judgement directly and develop each side with a specific, explained example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, two body paragraphs signposted by “On the one hand” and “On the other hand,” and a conclusion. This makes the two perspectives easy to identify. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes uneven, and some links are mechanical or unclear. The first paragraph moves from population growth to tree cutting and then medicinal plants without fully explaining the connection between these points. In the second, “In addition to this” introduces water pollution, but the relationship between pollution, climate change, and waste disposal is not clearly organised. The conclusion refers to “problems mentioned above” rather than bringing the comparison and your opinion together. Use clearer cause-and-effect links and refer back to the central comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant environmental vocabulary, including “loss of habitat,” “deforestation,” “climate change,” “water pollution,” and “waste disposal.” These terms help communicate the topic, and some less common items are attempted. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which makes parts less natural: “cutting down tress,” “manage the habitat,” and “change in climate” are examples. There are also spelling errors such as “od” and “diarrhoea” is used in a list that would benefit from more precise phrasing. Aim for accurate topic-specific combinations, such as “destroy natural habitats” and “dispose of waste properly,” and avoid repeating broad terms like “problem” when a more exact noun is available.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “because,” “which,” and “whereas.” However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. For example, “the main environmental problems … is” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “there are so many problems which we cannot overlooked” has an incorrect verb form. Other examples include “Climate change which is one of the recent problem” and “people died … consuming those polluted water,” where sentence structure, agreement, and number are not controlled. Punctuation also needs attention, particularly the missing space after “water.” Practise building accurate sentences with subordinate clauses, and check agreement, articles, and singular/plural forms.

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