Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-01

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)

Many people argue that extinction of certain plants and animals is most important environmental issue. I believe that is not the case pollution and over population are the main problems.

There are many species of plants and animals that have lost the habitat necessary for their living. Many herbs plants that existed before are no longer to be found. These herbs like silphium were used in perfumes, food seasoning and medicine. Similarly many animals like passenger pigeon got extinct necessary for keeping forests healthy and full of life. Our eco-system would greatly be effected if we kept on losing every animal species by taking their habitat away from them. Also reviving these exotic plants and animals is a formidable challenge even for scientists as well.

In contrast, due to human interference in climate change through pollution by air is causing severe floods and heat waves more than ever recorded before. This dramatic climate change is also the cause of death of many animals and plants as they are not able to survive this harsh weather for long. Furthermore plastic in ocean is also a reason that many aquatic species lose their life. For instance, sea turtles often get caught it fishing nets and plastic waste. Moreover, due to over population cities get expanded the trees in jungles are cut down houses are built there, and in this way animals loose their habitat.

In conclusion, loss of particular species are no doubt an issue that needs to be resolved, but pollution and over population needs to be controlled in order to save our environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the loss of specific species and other environmental problems like pollution and overpopulation, and includes a clear personal position in the introduction and conclusion. However, the development of ideas is uneven. For example, while the point about the passenger pigeon is mentioned, the explanation remains somewhat brief, and the discussion on pollution shifts abruptly between climate change, ocean plastics, and overpopulation. To move to a higher level, the ideas need to be more fully extended and supported with deeper analysis and clearer transitions between the competing views.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, separating the introduction, the discussion of species loss, the counter-arguments regarding pollution and overpopulation, and the conclusion. However, cohesion at the sentence level is occasionally mechanical or faulty. For instance, transitional phrases like 'In contrast' and 'Moreover' are used, but referencing is sometimes unclear, such as the pronoun use in 'due to human interference in climate change through pollution by air is causing severe floods'. Improving the logical flow between sentences and refining the use of cohesive devices would create a smoother progression throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'formidable challenge', 'eco-system', and 'aquatic species'. However, there are noticeable lexical inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'pollution by air' instead of 'air pollution', 'got extinct' instead of 'became extinct', and 'animals loose their habitat' instead of 'lose'. Spelling and word formation errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the score. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to demonstrate greater precision in word choice and master common collocations associated with environmental topics.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writing demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like subordinate clauses and modal verbs. However, there are several grammar errors and missing articles, such as 'extinction of certain plants and animals is most important environmental issue' (missing 'the'), 'pollution and over population needs' (subject-verb agreement error with plural subjects), and 'caught it fishing nets' (preposition error). Punctuation is also occasionally weak, leading to run-on structures. These errors rarely impede overall communication, but they occur with enough regularity to prevent a higher score, which requires a greater frequency of error-free sentences using complex structures.

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