Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-21
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 5.0)
A part of the world implicits that the main reason behind environmental issues are the plants and animals that are endangered. While some others determines this problem as one among a lot of issues. This essay shares some views and opinion on this topic.
First of all, the different species of plants and animals that are extinct has made enormous changes to the nature. For instance, some country's take over forests for developement purposes which leads to destroying a wide variety of vegetation for different species that rely on it. This totally imbalances the nature. Lack of trees causes land slides and the amount of rain water diminishes causing drought.
Apart from this, the increase in air pollution and temperature variations in the atmosphere are also reasons for natural calamities. For example, El Nino is one of the biggest reason for heavy rains in some parts of the world leading to floods and Tsunami.
In my opinion, eventhough the extinction of species of plants and animals is a reason, but there are other issues to be considered and rectified for natural disasters.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student has attempted to address both views regarding whether species loss is the main environmental problem, as well as providing a personal opinion in the final paragraph. However, the response falls significantly short of the 250-word minimum, containing only 182 words. This severe under-length restriction prevents the proper extension and full development of ideas, leading to an underdeveloped argument. While the prompt is partially addressed by discussing habitat destruction and other issues like air pollution, the lack of depth and restricted length pull the score down into Band 5.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is divided into four distinct paragraphs, including an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion, which shows an underlying structural plan. However, the progression of ideas is frequently hindered by awkward phrasing and limited cohesive devices. Transitions such as 'First of all' and 'Apart from this' are somewhat mechanical. Referencing and logical links between sentences can be disjointed, as seen in the transition from discussing extinction to land development. Paragraphing is present, but overall cohesion is faulty, aligning the response with Band 5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is relatively basic and repetitive, with noticeable word-choice errors that detract from the academic tone. Examples include 'implicits' instead of 'implies', 'determines' instead of 'considers', and 'developement' (spelling error). Phrases like 'imbalances the nature' demonstrate an inadequate grasp of collocations. While the vocabulary is minimally adequate to convey basic ideas, the range is limited and frequent lexical inaccuracies place this response firmly in Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but control over grammar is weak. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('some country's take over', 'El Nino is one of the biggest reason') and faulty word forms ('land slides', 'eventhough'). Although meaning is generally not completely obscured, these recurring errors and awkward structures cause difficulty for the reader and reflect the Band 5 descriptors.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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