Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-09-29

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 6.0)

Some people believe the predominant environmental issue of our time is the extinction of specific species of plants and animals, while others think that there are more important environmental problems. Personally, I completely agree with the second opinion because the depletion of fossil fuels is one of the most concerning environmental issues.

Recent statistics from researchers shows that, due to climate change a number of species of plants and animals are already lost and predictions says that more species are endangered.

As a result of climate change, the average temperature of the world has increased and it is affecting the habitats of plants and animals in the wild and beyond. For example, rise in temperature in the Antarctica continent has resulted in melting of ice. This region comprises of the most number of white polar bears of our planet. However, the figures are declining as their dwelling is at the risk of vanishing.

On the other hand, mass consumption of fossil fuels, such as coal, petroleum, octane, diesel and compressed gas etc. extracted from natural sources has left the world with only small amount of energy. Crude oil is the main source of power in vehicles and industrial machineries. On top of that, under developed countries burn coal and gas as their primary material for electricity generation. For instance, Bangladesh uses natural gas for producing 43% of their total capacity of electricity. As a consequence, gas will only last about 50 years more.

In conclusion, I agree that, there are a lot of species are at the danger of extinction owing to global heating. Meanwhile, without the continuous supply of natural energy sources the world will come to a halt. Hence, it is the most impactful aspect of environmental hazard.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt. It discusses the view that the loss of specific species is the main environmental problem, acknowledges the other perspective regarding broader issues, and clearly states the writer's own opinion in favor of fossil fuel depletion. The first body paragraph covers the extinction of species and climate change impacts, while the second discusses fossil fuel consumption and energy sources. However, the development of ideas could be extended further; for instance, the explanation of fossil fuels relies heavily on general assertions rather than fully exploring why it is a more pressing crisis than biodiversity loss. Despite this slight under-development in supporting arguments, a clear position is maintained throughout, earning a solid Band 6.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas. It is divided into an introduction, two distinct body paragraphs addressing the competing views and the writer's opinion, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to link sentences and paragraphs, such as 'On the other hand,' 'For example,' and 'As a consequence.' However, referencing and transitions are at times slightly mechanical or repetitive, such as starting multiple sentences with 'As a result of climate change' or similar phrases. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but internal cohesion within the second body paragraph could be smoother to elevate the flow. These characteristics align comfortably with the Band 6.5 descriptors.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'predominant', 'extinction', 'depletion', and 'machineries'. However, there are some noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and word form. For example, 'predictions says' contains a subject-verb agreement error, 'Antarctica continent' is awkward phrasing compared to 'the Antarctic continent', and 'comprises of' is incorrect usage as 'comprise' does not take 'of'. Additionally, phrases like 'global heating' are less standard than 'global warming'. While communication is never impeded, these lexical inaccuracies prevent the response from achieving a higher band, placing it firmly at a Band 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including relative clauses and conditional-like framing. There are, however, frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb disagreement ('statistics... shows', 'predictions says'), missing articles ('rise in temperature', 'at the risk'), and punctuation errors in list structures ('coal, petroleum, octane, diesel and compressed gas etc.'). Furthermore, phrases like 'the most number of white polar bears' demonstrate awkward syntactic phrasing. Although these errors do not impede overall communication and complex forms are successfully attempted, the frequency of slips keeps the score at a Band 6.0.

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.