Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-25
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 5.5)
The bar chart and table detail a nation's export earnings across five product categories in 2015 and 2016, alongside the corresponding percentage changes.
Overall, petroleum products and engineered goods consistently generated the highest revenue, whereas textiles recorded the most dramatic growth. Conversely, gems and jewellery was the sole category to experience a decline.
Petroleum products dominated export values, starting at just above $60 billion in 2015 and edging up by 3% in 2016. Engineered goods followed a similar upward trajectory, rising by 8.5% from approximately $58 billion to comfortably exceed $60 billion.
In contrast, export earnings for gems and jewellery contracted by 5.18%, falling from roughly $42 billion to under $40 billion. Agricultural products remained virtually unchanged, creeping up by 0.81% from a baseline of $40 billion. Meanwhile, textiles exhibited the sharpest rise of 15.24%, elevating its export value from around $32 billion to well over $40 billion by 2016.
In comparing sector performances, heavy industrial and energy commodities clearly drove the economy, jointly contributing over $120 billion in each year. While gems and jewellery dropped below the $40 billion mark in 2016, both agricultural goods and textiles overtook it. Consequently, textiles shifted from being the lowest-performing export in 2015 to matching the output of both gems and agricultural products by 2016. Overall, despite contractions in luxury goods, the robust performance of textiles alongside steady gains in industrial exports yielded overall positive growth across the country's export portfolio.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 1.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 7.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 7.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 1.0
The response is completely off-topic. The prompt asks for a discussion on environmental problems (loss of species vs. other issues), but the student has written a report on a bar chart and table regarding export earnings. Because the response does not address the task at all, it receives a band 1.0 for Task Achievement. Furthermore, the response is under the required word count, which is a secondary issue compared to the total failure to address the prompt. To improve, the student must carefully read the essay question and ensure the content matches the specific topic requested.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
Despite being off-topic, the writing itself is coherent. The student uses logical paragraphing and appropriate cohesive devices such as 'Overall', 'Conversely', 'In contrast', and 'Meanwhile'. The progression of ideas is clear, and the information is well-organized within the context of a data report. If this were a Task 1 response, it would score highly for coherence; however, because it is a Task 2 essay, the structure is applied to the wrong task type. The paragraphing is logical and the flow between sentences is smooth.
Lexical Resource — Band 7.0
The vocabulary is quite strong and appropriate for a data description task. The student uses precise terminology such as 'upward trajectory', 'contracted', 'baseline', and 'export portfolio'. There is a good range of vocabulary used with flexibility and precision. While the content is irrelevant to the prompt, the lexical control demonstrated is sophisticated. The student shows an ability to use less common items effectively, which would be well-rewarded in a Task 1 context.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5
The grammatical range is excellent. The student employs a variety of complex structures, including participial phrases ('starting at just above...', 'rising by 8.5%...') and well-constructed compound-complex sentences. The accuracy is high, with very few errors. Punctuation is used correctly throughout, and the control over tense and aspect is consistent. The writing is fluent and demonstrates a high level of grammatical competence, even though it is applied to the wrong task.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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