Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-20

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)

People have different opinions regarding the main enviromental problem of our time, some people think that it is due to the loss of a particular species of plants and animals while others say that there are more important enviromental promblems involved.

Some people say that the main enviromental problem of our time is the loss of a particular species of plants and animals because in their point of view evey different species that exist on the planet does have effects on our enviroment in one way or the other. Moreover, they think that each plant and animal is beneficial for keeping our enviroment clean and that the loss of any one species can be harmful for our enviroment as every species has different tasks that they perform in their daily routines. For instance, bees have to provide honey which is beneficial for us humans to consume and just like that every species has some importance in our enviroment and the loss of anyone of a particular species of plants and animals can have drastic change in our enviroment.

Others say that there are more important enviromental problems rather than the loss of a particular species such as the increase in ozone gas emittion and the ozone layer which is harmful for our enviroment along with that emittion of harmful gases and acids from factories can increase breathing problems in living beings alond with that smoking,traffic,deforesstation and all other factors are more important enviromental problems as they are harmful for our planet.

In my opinion,the loss of a particular species of plants and animals along with other enviromental problems both are important because every species has a particular reason and task while other problem should also not be neglected as both are important to keep our enviroment clean and balanced so both should be prioritiosed.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views—that the loss of specific species is the main environmental problem, and that other issues are more significant—while also providing a clear personal opinion in the conclusion. The ideas, however, are somewhat repetitive and lack deeper extension. For instance, the discussion on biodiversity relies on a simple example regarding bees providing honey rather than exploring broader ecological concepts like ecosystem collapse or food webs. Similarly, the counterarguments list issues such as ozone emission and traffic without fully developing their relative importance. This places the performance firmly at Band 6, as all parts are addressed with relevant ideas, but some points remain under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay has a recognizable overall structure with an introduction, two body paragraphs representing opposing views, and a conclusion. However, paragraphing and cohesion are significantly hindered by run-on sentences. The entire second body paragraph, for example, consists of a single excessively long sentence connected by repetitive conjunctions like 'along with that' and 'and'. Cohesive devices are mechanically applied and overused, creating a breathless reading experience where logical transitions between distinct ideas become blurred. Although the overall progression of arguments is logical, the weak sentence boundaries and heavy reliance on repetitive linking phrases prevent the essay from achieving a Band 6.5 or 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate basic arguments about environmental issues. However, there are numerous spelling and typographical errors throughout the text, such as 'enviromental' (consistently misspelled), 'promblems', 'evey', 'anyone', 'emittion', 'alond', 'deforesstation', and 'prioritiosed'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited and repetitive, with words like 'environment', 'important', and 'species' appearing frequently without sophisticated synonyms or precise collocations. While the meaning remains clear despite these lexical and orthographic slips, the frequent errors and restricted range prevent the score from rising above Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar and punctuation is weak. The most glaring issue is the presence of comma splices and massive run-on sentences, particularly in the third paragraph, where multiple distinct ideas are strung together without proper full stops or subordinate clauses. For instance, sentences stretch across several lines using excessive coordinating conjunctions. While there are some correct simple structures, the frequent errors in punctuation and sentence boundary demarcation cause noticeable difficulty for the reader and reflect a limitation in grammatical control, justifying a Band 5.0.

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