Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-25
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 4.5)
It is undenieble to say that the loss of particular species of plants and animals is one of the major environmental problems. The extinction of wildlife is an ultimate loss due to the lack of control and supervision. Among the extinct animals, the pandas have only been left with the ratio of 1 or 2% around the globe, which is typically because of the changes in landscape and their loss of habitat. Although this is one of the devastating issues that requires solution, yet global warming hits the road with its drastic effects spreading from carbon-intensive vehicles, and by using plasic-made bags.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 4.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0
The student attempts to discuss both views regarding whether species loss is the main environmental problem, introducing biodiversity loss and global warming. However, the response is severely constrained by its length, containing only 102 words compared to the minimum requirement of 250 words. Because the text is incomplete and extremely short, the ideas are heavily under-developed, and the writer's own opinion is not clearly formulated or supported. The mention of pandas and carbon-intensive vehicles shows some relevance to the task, but the truncation prevents any thorough discussion. Consequently, the task achievement is penalised heavily for length and lack of development, fitting into the Band 4 descriptor where the task is addressed only minimally.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0
Due to the extreme brevity of the response, paragraphing is absent, as the entire text consists of a single short paragraph containing both the introduction and body ideas. While there are basic cohesive devices used to link clauses, such as 'Although this is one of the devastating issues that requires solution, yet global warming hits the road', the structure is flawed, combining 'although' and 'yet' in a non-standard way. Overall progression is lacking because the essay stops abruptly after only a few sentences. Cohesion is faulty and mechanical, reflecting the characteristics of a Band 4 performance where information and ideas are not arranged coherently into an extended piece of writing.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary for expressing basic ideas, employing terms such as 'extinction', 'wildlife', 'landscape', 'habitat', and 'global warming'. However, there are notable lexical errors and awkward collocations, such as 'It is undenieble to say' (instead of undeniable), 'left with the ratio of 1 or 2%' (unnatural phrasing), and 'global warming hits the road with its drastic effects' (inappropriate idiom). Spelling contains minor issues like 'plasic-made' and 'undenieble'. The lexical range is limited and somewhat repetitive, justifying a Band 5 score where noticeable errors and imprecise word choices cause some difficulty for the reader.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, incorporating clauses introduced by 'Although' and relative clauses. However, grammatical accuracy is weak throughout the short text. There are significant errors, such as the spelling and morphological error 'undenieble', the incorrect double-conjunction structure 'Although... yet...', and awkward phrasing like 'the pandas have only been left with the ratio of 1 or 2%'. While some basic sentences are formed correctly, the frequency of errors and the inability to successfully execute complex structures places this performance firmly at Band 5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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