Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-07-25

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 7.0)

Some individuals believe that the core environmental issue of our time is the loss of particular species of plants and animals. Others say that there are far more important environmental problems. I believe both issues can be critical but other environmental problems which I will be dicussing later are more important to be considered comparitively.

Loss of species is a very important factor affecting the whole food chains. There is a proper food chain which occurs naturally in which every specie's food is dependent on the other and a whole cycle of species collectively make a food chain. If one species from the food chain is taken away, it will affect the whole community of species in a specific food chain disturbing the natural algorithm. Other important factor is that there are some plants as well as animals which are used for making important medicines which will not be possible if such species discontinue to exist.

I believe that there are other environmental problems which are very concerning in today's world such as global warming being the most critical. The carbon emissions from the combustion of engines as well as from factories are causing the depletion of ozone layer leading to a rise in Earth's temperature. This is a major environmental issue. The polution is another major issue. Due to air pollution many people are being diagnosed with breathing problems. Such environmental hazards are far more directly affecting the living beings through hazardous environmental conditions.

In conclusion, both the loss of particular species and other environmental problems like global warming and pollution can be dangerous but problems like global warming are slowly affecting the humanity and other creatues too more aggressively day by day.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response7.0
Coherence and Cohesion7.5
Lexical Resource6.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.5
Overall7.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, particularly the discussion on food chains and the impact of global warming. However, the development is somewhat limited; for instance, the explanation of how species loss affects medicine is brief and could be further extended with specific examples. The position is consistent throughout, but the essay would benefit from a more nuanced exploration of why the writer considers global warming more critical than biodiversity loss. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, meeting the requirements for a balanced discussion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect of the prompt. Cohesive devices such as 'If one species...', 'Other important factor is...', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, the transition between ideas is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing could be more sophisticated. For example, the phrase 'other environmental problems which I will be discussing later' is a bit clunky. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two viewpoints, which helps the overall flow of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at topic-specific language like 'depletion of ozone layer', 'combustion', and 'environmental hazards'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'disturbing the natural algorithm' (which is an unusual collocation) and 'affecting the humanity' (should be 'affecting humanity'). While the range is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, it lacks the flexibility and precision required for a higher band score. The student uses basic connectors and some repetitive phrasing, which limits the overall lexical impact.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'every specie's food' (should be 'species''), 'Other important factor' (missing article 'An'), and 'creatues' (spelling error). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. The control over punctuation is generally good, but the sentence structure could be more varied to demonstrate greater flexibility. The student successfully uses complex sentences, but they are occasionally marred by minor slips in agreement or article usage.

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