Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-22
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)
It is a debateable issue as every individuals have their own thoughts about any particular topics like some things that main issue of environment problem is lossing the specific species of vegetation and animals while other thing other environment issues are more essentials. however, this essay shad a light on both views along with my personal opinion about this phenomena.
on the one hand, extinction of plants and animals is a major environment concern as every species play a crucial role for maintaining the balance of eco-system when a particular species disapper it may effect all the other animal and plants as all plant and animal are dependent upon each other for their survival and food. for instance, some plants and animals may have medical and economical value that could be lost permanently if these species are disappear. in addition destruction of forest can cause the loss of habitats for birds, insect and other wild animals.
on the other hand, there are several environment problem that have broader impact such as climate change, global warming and pollutions that effects the human being as well as wildlife. for instance, global warming can lead to extreme temperature , melting glaciers and rising water of sea and oeans. in addition air pollution can cause serious health issue to the humans.these problems are not limited to one particular sepecies, they can effect the entire population and species.
in conclusion, loss pf particular species is an important environment issuebecause it reduce biodiversity and can disturb ecosystem. however, i believed that wider problems such as climate change are more significant because they effect human as well as wild life too.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—the loss of specific plant and animal species versus broader environmental problems—and provides a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are relevant and extended, such as mentioning ecosystem balance, medical and economic values of species, and broader issues like climate change and pollution. However, some arguments lack deeper development or specific real-world examples, remaining somewhat generalized (e.g., 'some plants and animals may have medical and economical value'). This aligns well with the Band 6 descriptor, which states that the response addresses all parts of the task though some ideas may be under-developed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraphing structure, separating the introduction, the two body paragraphs representing opposing views, and the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'on the one hand', 'on the other hand', and 'in conclusion'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical, and punctuation issues (such as missing capital letters at the beginning of sentences like 'on the one hand' and 'in conclusion') affect the smooth progression. Paragraphs are generally logical, but the mechanical nature of the linking devices and punctuation lapses place this firmly at Band 6.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'biodiversity', 'ecosystem', 'extinction', and 'habitats'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, including 'debateable' instead of debatable, 'lossing' instead of losing, 'disapper' instead of disappear, 'effect' instead of affect, and 'sepecies' instead of species. Despite these lexical inaccuracies, communication is not impeded, and the range of vocabulary is sufficient to meet the requirements of Band 6.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures such as 'when a particular species disapper it may effect all the other animal and plants'. There are, however, frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'as every individuals have'), article usage, and punctuation (lack of capitalization and missing terminal punctuation in places). While these errors do not impede communication, they demonstrate a lack of control over more complex structures, making Band 5 descriptors the most accurate reflection of current performance due to frequent errors that cause some difficulty.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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