Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

A healthy environment is a play essential role in all living life. In this contemporary era, environmental degradation has become one of the most pressing challenges. Nowadays, some people believe that the extinction of various species such as plants and animals is the biggest problem; however, some people believe that issues such as climate change, pollution and global warming deserve more attention.

On the one hand, the extinction of plants and animals are a serious environmental problem. Every species plays a crucial role in maintaining the ecological system, and it is disappearance can disrupt entire the food chains. In addition, if one species becomes extinct, it is impossible to restore it naturally. For example, the decline of bees and other pollinators are directly affect on agriculture because many crops and plants depend on them for reproduction. Furthermore, forest and wild llife provide valuable human resources, due to human activities can destroy important plants and animals species.

On the flip side, environmental problems are equally important such as climate change, global warming and increased pollution. They affect entire populations and ecosystems simultaneously. Moreover, these issues directly impact on human health, agriculture and natural habitats. For instance, in Nepal, a flood disaster recently occured. The main reason behind this was increased global temperature; this lead mealting ice glacier and enhanced wter levels in river. Similarly, severe air pollution in major cities can cause respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

In conclusion, although species play significant role in maintaining the ecosystem balance such as the food chain, I believe that wider problems like climate change and pollutions are more urgent, and they affect on all living life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views on environmental problems and clearly stating the writer's own opinion in the introduction and conclusion. The position is maintained throughout the essay. However, the development of ideas in the body paragraphs is somewhat limited and occasionally hampered by awkward expression. For instance, the discussion on the extinction of plants and animals mentions bees and agriculture, which is relevant, but the support lacks depth and suffers from grammatical interference. Similarly, the counter-argument regarding climate change and pollution touches upon relevant examples, such as floods in Nepal, but the explanation remains brief and slightly underdeveloped. To reach a higher band, the arguments require more thorough elaboration and extended support rather than brief examples.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, dividing the introduction, body paragraphs for both views, and the conclusion appropriately. Cohesive devices are employed to signal transitions between ideas, such as "On the one hand", "In addition", and "On the flip side". However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, the phrase "it is disappearance" contains a faulty pronoun reference, and some transitional links feel slightly repetitive or awkwardly integrated. Paragraph progression is generally logical, moving from the introduction to the first view, the second view, and the final verdict, but the internal cohesion within sentences occasionally breaks down due to awkward phrasing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common terms such as "environmental degradation", "ecological system", and "respiratory and cardiovascular diseases". However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word formation throughout the text. Examples include "play essential role" instead of "plays an essential role", "it is disappearance" instead of "its disappearance", "are directly affect on" instead of "directly affect", and "mealting ice glacier and enhanced wter levels" which contains both spelling and lexical errors. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they reflect a Band 6 level where vocabulary control is inconsistent when attempting more complex phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting relative clauses and conditional structures. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors in verb forms, articles, and prepositions. Examples include "A healthy environment is a play essential role", "the extinction of plants and animals are a serious" (subject-verb agreement error), "due to human activities can destroy", and "this lead mealting ice glacier and enhanced wter levels". Punctuation and sentence structures occasionally falter, leading to awkward or run-on phrasing. While simple sentences are generally understandable, the frequent errors in complex constructions keep the grammar score at Band 5.0.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.