Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-01

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 contemporary society, a significant proportion of individuals believe that, in the today's world, extinct species have a major impact on our environment. However, other people believe that, there are also other major environmental problems like climate change, which is the most challenging and needs to be overcome. In this essay, I will discuss both views and explain my opinion with suitable examples.

One of the most compelling argument is that, extinct organisms such as plants and animals are crucial for the biodiversity, and they collectively maintain the balance of our ecosystem. For instance, micro-organisms and small creatures, which usually present in an ocean and maintain the aquatic environment by decomposing the dead animals, if these essential species got extinct then, it will leads to disturb the aquatic ecosystem balance. Therefore, each specie is vital for this ecosystem.

Opponents also raised a valid question, there are also other major problems which need to be overcome. Take climate change as an example, the temperature of earth is raising constantly due to combustion in factories. Moreover, the ozone depletion is also concerning, it occurs due to the presence of the toxic gases in atmosphere. Increase in industrialization, and the by product of industries such as carbon mono-oxide, has the adverse effects on our environment. So, these problems are more critical and should be solved, earliest.

In conclusion, although the loss of particular species or having climate change issues both are crucial and are equally important. I believe that, both problems should take seriously. My view is that the main responsibility for

solving the problem mainly lies with government and NGOs.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion in the conclusion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the importance of biodiversity is mentioned, the explanation of how species loss affects the ecosystem is a bit simplistic. Similarly, the discussion on climate change is relevant but could have been more deeply explored to reach a higher band. The position is consistent, but the essay would benefit from more sophisticated supporting arguments to fully meet the requirements of a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'For instance', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing and sentence-level cohesion, such as the comma splice in 'Opponents also raised a valid question, there are also other major problems'. Overall, the structure is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'biodiversity', 'combustion', and 'ozone depletion'. However, there are occasional inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'each specie' (should be 'species') and 'if these essential species got extinct' (should be 'became extinct'). These errors do not impede communication but prevent the essay from reaching 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, particularly with articles ('the today's world', 'the temperature of earth'), subject-verb agreement ('it will leads to disturb'), and punctuation (comma splices). These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding the main points. To improve, the writer should focus on refining complex sentence structures and ensuring consistent grammatical accuracy.

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