Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-16

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 6.5)

In contemporary times, an argument continues to linger among the masses, where, many argue that the extinction of certain types of flora and fauna majorly accounts for what ought to be genuine environmental concern of the day. While, others argue that there are more serious environmental issues other than mere extinction of some special animal or plant species, that needs addessing in letter and spirit. I personally opine, both of these arguments have weight and merit of their own but, there truly are other environmental concerns that need more serious addressal than extinction of animals or plants.

Undoubtedly, the extinction of some animals and plants have posed serious environmental concerns for the mankind today. For instance, the loss of biodiversity is considered to be a major consequence of the extinction, which, is the reason, humanity is facing problems such as food crisis due to distrubance in food chain and food supply. Also, extinction of animals causes the loss of habitat which reduces our chances of survival on the planet as we continue enroute to problematic isolation wherein we have no oxygen, no food and no air to refreshen up in.

In the same way, extinction cannot be considered the main environmental concern faced by the humanity today because there are even harsher and ridiculous issues that need our willful action. For instance, in the recent COP26 summit, the main agenda was "carbon emission as the global policy", it was discussed that carbon emission will have destroyed the global air quality by 2030, if the governments of the world continue to turn blind eye to the issue. Similarly, the world is getting destroyed by the excessive and evolutionary development of AI, provied that, it is rigorously consuming the water table of the globe, as shared in a report by BBC from the state of Chicago.

Certainly, the issue of extinction of certain species of plants and animals may well be regarded as a serious environmental issue but it ought not to be recognised as the most major environmental concern faced by the humanity today. The most serious environmental problems of the world have to do with Carbon emissions uncontrolled development of AI, that suffice to consuming the world in the near future. Such issues need genuine attention on global stage and a policy-making wherein rules and regulations are enacted to ensure sustainable furture of the environment.

Conclusively, it is often discussed that extinction of some species of animals and plants is by-far the most major environmental issue but there are issues of even more severity that need our addressing on time before the world is faced with catastrophic consequences.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views—that species loss is the main environmental issue and that other problems are more pressing—while clearly stating the writer's own opinion. Ideas are extended and supported, such as mentioning the food chain and the COP26 summit regarding carbon emissions. However, there is a tendency to over-generalize in places, and some arguments, like the impact of AI on the water table, are slightly under-developed or factually strained. Nevertheless, a clear position is maintained throughout the essay. This performance aligns well with Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

There is a clear logical organisation and progression throughout the essay. The response follows a standard four-paragraph structure with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing each view and providing examples, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well, such as 'For instance,' 'In the same way,' and 'Certainly.' However, there are minor cohesion and referencing flaws, such as punctuation issues with comma splices around conjunctions (e.g., 'While, others argue...' and 'which, is the reason,') and slightly awkward transitions between ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately, earning a solid Band 6.5 to 7.0 score.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision, attempting less common items like 'biodiversity,' 'extinction,' 'sustainable future,' and 'catastrophic consequences.' However, there are notable word choice, collocation, and spelling errors throughout the text, such as 'needs addessing' instead of 'addressing,' 'distrubance' instead of 'disturbance,' 'provied' instead of 'provided,' and 'suffice to consuming' instead of 'sufficing to consume.' These inaccuracies prevent the score from reaching higher bands, placing it firmly at Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt at varied syntactic structures (e.g., conditional clauses and relative clauses). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation mistakes, including unnecessary commas separating subjects and verbs ('where, many argue,' 'which, is the reason'), subject-verb agreement issues ('extinction of some animals and plants have'), and misuse of prepositions ('addressal' instead of 'address'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur too frequently for a Band 7.0, making Band 6.0 an accurate assessment.

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