Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-31

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)

There is a contrast in a point of view about the main environmental problem of our time, some people believes that loss of particular species of plants and animals is the main reason, while others say that there are more important environmental problems than this. In my opinion, there are many other issues of our environment than the loss of particular species.

One of the main environmental problem is dangerous air pollutants. Many industries release enormous amount of waste on daily basis. This waste is in solid, liquid and as well as in gas form. The waste in the gas form pollutes our air. Similarly, motor vehicles produce a lot of smoke regularly which also pollutes our environment. These types of air pollutants are one of the main causes of ozone layer depletion.

Another main environmental problem is dirty lakes, and canals. Industries throw all their liquid wastes in lakes, canals, and rivers and people around us also throw their garbage in lakes or canals due to this our water becomes dirty and harmful.

The government should take some initiative to control these types of behaviours. The government can run seminars on awareness of these things and on recycling. The government can reward people on recycling things or put items in their specific bin for recycling. As in many countries there are machines for collecting bottles and the person put bottles in that machine gets reward for every bottle. The government can also charge fine on throwing any type of waste in lakes, rivers, and canals. The government should make a team to manage industrial waste and household waste.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the discussion of the first view—the loss of species—is entirely absent. The prompt requires you to discuss both perspectives, but you only focused on your own view and the second perspective (pollution). Consequently, the development of the first viewpoint is missing, which limits the score. To improve, ensure you dedicate at least one paragraph to explaining why some people consider the loss of species to be the most critical environmental issue before presenting your own perspective and the counter-argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is a logical progression from the introduction to the body paragraphs and the conclusion. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive (e.g., 'Another main environmental problem', 'The government can...'). While the ideas are generally linked, the transition between the introduction and the body paragraphs could be smoother. Using a wider variety of linking words and referencing phrases would help improve the flow and cohesion of the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. You rely on basic terms like 'dirty', 'things', and 'waste'. While these words communicate your meaning, they do not demonstrate the ability to use less common or more sophisticated lexical items. There are also some minor collocation issues, such as 'charge fine on throwing', which should be 'impose fines for dumping'. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary related to environmental science and policy.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement ('some people believes' instead of 'believe') and article usage ('in gas form' instead of 'in gaseous form'). While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they are frequent enough to impact the overall fluency. To reach a higher band, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring consistent use of articles and prepositions.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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