Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-06

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)

Nowadays, the climate is getting more unpredictable and more environmentally damaging. This leads to the argument that some individuals believe the main reason for this damage is the loss of biodiversity, such as the loss of particular plants and creatures, while others argue that many issues are important. However, I believe that the ecological cycle is more important in order to reduce environmental disruption.

On the one hand, all types of plants and animals are important to maintain the ecological cycle. For any reason, if it gets disturbed, it will hamper the environment. For instance, the number of tigers is reducing all over the world, leading to a reduction in predators, affecting the life cycle. This creates a big impact on the environment. To tackle this issue, many care centers and zoos are accommodating such species.

On the other hand, there are many issues like global warming, climate change, ozone layer depletion, and pollution. But the root cause of these problems may lead to the base where the ecological cycle and biodiversity come into picture. For instance, consider global warming and climate change; the main causes of these are deforestation and increased pollution. There are chances of losing some specific plantations, which leads to such problems. Therefore, I believe that finding the root cause of all these issues will highlight the importance of biodiversity.

In conclusion, although many species of plants and animals are vanishing, leading to environmental issues, there are other issues that are more or equally important. But focusing on the root cause will lead to an impact on biodiversity; hence, I believe that the main environmental issue is the loss of diversity in plants and animals.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—the loss of species versus other environmental problems—and presents a position, ultimately concluding that biodiversity is the main issue. However, the development of ideas is uneven. While the first body paragraph attempts to explain the role of predators like tigers in the ecological cycle, the argument remains somewhat limited and relies on a general statement rather than deep support. The second body paragraph touches on global warming and deforestation, but the connection back to the thesis becomes slightly circular and under-developed. To reach a higher level, the ideas need to be more fully extended with more precise reasoning and thoroughly explored examples rather than broad generalisations.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement and follows a logical four-paragraph structure with an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Transitional markers such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion' are employed to guide the reader through the argumentative structure. However, referencing and cohesion can at times feel mechanical or slightly repetitive, such as the frequent reliance on 'important' and 'issues' without entirely clear referencing chains between sentences. To achieve a higher band, the transitions between sentences could be made more seamless, and the progression of ideas within paragraphs needs to be sharper and more clearly linked to avoid minor logical jumps.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'biodiversity', 'ecological cycle', 'global warming', and 'deforestation'. There are, however, noticeable limitations and some awkward word choices or phrasing that restrict the score, such as 'leading to the base where the ecological cycle and biodiversity come into picture' and 'specific plantations' instead of 'plant species'. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and vocabulary errors do not impede overall communication. To move to the next level, the writer needs to incorporate a wider variety of less common lexical items with greater precision in style and collocation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response makes use of a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at complex structures with subordinate clauses like 'although many species of plants and animals are vanishing'. Nevertheless, there is a limited range of grammatical structures overall, and some sentence constructions are somewhat awkward or faulty, such as 'For any reason, if it gets disturbed, it will hamper the environment.' Grammatical errors are present—such as preposition usage and minor agreement issues—though they rarely impede communication. To secure a higher band, the writer must demonstrate better control over a wider variety of complex sentence types and reduce the frequency of grammatical slips.

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