Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-06

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 6.0)

A number of individuals argue that loss of a few species of plants and animals are the prime reason of environmental causes, while others believe there are plenty of other reasons for environmental problems that occur. In my opinion, there are more vital reasons then loss of particular species of plants and animals.

A group of people think that a few species of specific trees or animals are the actual reason of many disasters and causes of destructive behavior of mother nature. Which is true to some extent but it does not sum up the whole story. When a certain species of animals or plants disappear from the nature it effects in a really negative way as the certain species were responsible for many changes in environment and when the changes stop happening it ruins the natural cycle. For instance, when a bird species were extinct from China because of too many hunting it effected the farmers massively as those birds used to eat insects and bugs from the crops.

There are so many vital problems that can be responsible for our environmental issues in the modern era. Air pollution is one of the most prominent cause of the modern day environmental problems. Pollutions from factories, vehicles and households causes carbon to rise in the atmosphere and overall the carbon increases the temperature of earth, which is responsible for arctic meltdown and the sea-level to rise higher. For example, when the sea-level rise up the low land areas of earth went under water. Moreover, there are chances of more than 60% of Bangladesh's land that will go under the sea-level in just 50 years, if these problems are not under control.

In conclusion, there are more reasons present in the causes of environmental problems than just the loss of particular species of plants and animals. Although, losses of certain species might cause a great damage to the environment, it is not the sole main cause of our eras environment issues.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the impact of species loss on natural cycles and the broader threat of climate change. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The explanation of species loss is a bit simplistic, and the transition between the two viewpoints could be more nuanced. The position is maintained throughout, but the conclusion is slightly repetitive. To reach a higher band, ensure that the arguments are more thoroughly explored with deeper analysis rather than just stating the points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'For instance', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion', which help the flow of ideas. However, some transitions are a bit mechanical, and there are instances where the connection between sentences could be smoother. For example, the start of the second paragraph feels a bit abrupt. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the overall progression of the argument could be more sophisticated to achieve a higher band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'natural cycle', 'arctic meltdown', and 'sea-level'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'environmental causes' instead of 'environmental issues' and 'too many hunting' instead of 'excessive hunting'. The range is sufficient for the task, but more precise and varied vocabulary would be needed to reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('loss... are the prime reason', 'Pollutions... causes carbon to rise') and tense inconsistencies ('when a bird species were extinct'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some awkward phrasings that hinder the flow. To improve, the student should focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with greater accuracy.

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