Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-08

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)

Environmental problems include an array of negative impacts on the earth ranging from the loss of particular plant and animal species to many more. This essay will discuss the other problems alongside the mentioned one with their relative significance.

Contamination of several environmental components has resulted in climate change that in turn has led to the extinction of specific classes of plants and animals. They are of profound importance in the nature. For example, plants provide us with oxygen, without which no animal or human can survive. Again, they are the producers of the food chains, meaning loss of a plant species can disrupt one or more food chains in the ecosystem. This problem can also be caused by the loss of several species that will hinder various food chains. Furthermore, animals can play some other roles in the ecosystem, for instance, the frogs engulf many insects that are detrimental to the crops, thus saving them.

However, plants and animals are not solely important for the nature. There are other environmental issues that also pose threats. To illustrate, polar ice including several vast glaciers is melting owing to global warming. Consequently, many low lands are encountering untimely and devastating floods causing damage to human lives and properties. On the other hand, some other countries are going through droughts. Due to excessive utilization of groundwater, the level of it has gone too low and is causing dry lands as a result. This phenomenon puts the food supply of humans at a great risk.

Although wildlife and vegetation are required to balance the harmony of the environment, other environmental components are of the same significance to preserve the integrity of the earth. In my opinion, all the living and non-living components of nature should be conserved with equal importance.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The essay addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion in the conclusion. The ideas are relevant, such as the role of plants in food chains and the impact of climate change on water resources. However, the development is somewhat uneven. While the first body paragraph provides good examples, the second paragraph could be more specific regarding why other environmental issues might be considered 'more important' than species loss. The position is consistent, but the depth of analysis could be improved to reach a higher band by explicitly comparing the urgency of the two issues rather than just listing them.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used throughout, such as 'For example,' 'Furthermore,' 'However,' and 'Consequently.' While the progression of ideas is generally clear, some transitions feel slightly mechanical. The paragraphing is appropriate, and each paragraph has a clear central topic. To improve, the student should focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensuring that the relationship between sentences is always smooth and natural rather than relying on standard linkers.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task. The student uses some topic-specific terms like 'ecosystem,' 'extinction,' 'detrimental,' and 'integrity.' However, there are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'profound importance in the nature' (should be 'in nature') and 'level of it has gone too low' (should be 'water levels have dropped significantly'). The range is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, but it lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. Expanding the use of collocations and more academic vocabulary would enhance the quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is a good attempt at using complex sentences, such as 'Although wildlife and vegetation are required to balance the harmony of the environment, other environmental components are of the same significance.' While there are some minor grammatical errors, such as 'the frogs engulf many insects' (should be 'frogs engulf') and 'the level of it has gone too low,' these do not impede communication. The control of punctuation is generally good, and the errors are not frequent enough to cause difficulty for the reader.

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