Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-04
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 this modern era, environmental problems have become a subject of considerable debate around the world. Different people hold different opinions regarding the environmental problems. Some people believe that the main problem of our time is the loss of some of plants and animals, while other have an opposite perspective that it is more important for environment. In my opinion, we need to save some kinds of species of plants and animals because they provide numerous benefits to us.
This paragraph will discuss some reasons and examples about the first view of people that we are wasting our time to protecting the particular species. Firstly, some kinds of plants which do not provide any type of energy and benefits to the natural world, so that we do not focus on them. They believe, we waste time on them because other types of species plants provides numbers of benefits such as oxygen, fresh environment, firewood and medicines. Additionally, some animals are useless for environment so that they believe we do not try to save them. For instance, instead of saving wild animals such as crocodiles, lions and so on, we try to save birds and bees because they help to individuals and farmers in many ways. Therefore, some people believe only some plants and animals is useful.
On the other hand, some people believe that all kinds of species of plants and animals are important because they will help us in any kind of ways. If we think, some plants and animals are not important for us so that they will face danger of extinction. After their extinction, our future generation only it can see in picture and videos. Also, they can not get knowledge about it. Furthermore, they believe any animals and plants will help in any kind of ways for examples, on pandemic time like COVID-19 we face a lot of problems for medicine that time, scientists tried to finds solutions of this disease from various animals and plants, therefore every plants and animals are helpful to individuals.
From my perspective, I disagree that our time is the loss of particular species of plants and animals because they also help us in many ways and we try save every species of plants and animals even it is not helpful for us, that is why, I believe there are more important environmental problems.
In conclusion, although some species can not provide any kind of benefits to human lives, I believe they provide other more a significant advantages such as providing knowledge, medicines and cultural connection with them.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. The argument regarding 'useless' species is a bit simplistic and lacks nuance, which limits the depth of the discussion. While the prompt asks for a discussion of both views, the second body paragraph is more effectively argued than the first. The conclusion is a bit repetitive, and the position in the fourth paragraph is slightly confusingly phrased, as it seems to contradict the prompt's premise. To reach a higher band, ensure that arguments are fully extended with more sophisticated reasoning rather than relying on repetitive examples.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Firstly', 'Additionally', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, some of these transitions feel mechanical or slightly misused, such as 'If we think' or 'on pandemic time'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the second paragraph where the subject 'they' is used repeatedly without clear antecedents. The flow between sentences is generally functional, but the essay would benefit from a wider variety of linking words and more precise referencing to improve the overall cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There is a reliance on basic terms like 'good', 'bad', 'useful', and 'useless'. Phrases such as 'wasting our time to protecting' and 'on pandemic time' are non-idiomatic. While the student attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'extinction' and 'natural world', the range is limited. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise collocations and academic vocabulary to express complex ideas more naturally.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity, such as 'some species can not provide any kind of benefits' and 'every plants and animals are helpful'. Subject-verb agreement is inconsistent, and there are issues with article usage and prepositional phrases (e.g., 'in any kind of ways'). While the meaning is generally conveyed, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. More attention to proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy is recommended.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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