Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-07

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)

I personnally think these are dependent of each other, sometimes loss of a particular species of plants and animals creates some of the important environmental problems. For example, let's say if there are no marine plants that creates and maintains the biological oxygen demand in a lake or pond is absent that eventually creates a serious environmental probleam that is extinction of marine animals and plant that were dependent on those plants. Loss of particular species means it is erased from our ecosystem making the whole ecosystem imbalanced, if decomposer is lost means a dead body is never decomposed eventually it will never fertile the soil which further make the area a dessert type thereby creating another important environmental problem. It is equally important to consider these two views as interdependent and work to prevent it. However, if we look at the scale it is worth to note that loss of particular species problem is actually very small compared to environmental challenges like global warming, plastic pollution wildlife fire and many more. These problems requires much human effort and are also time consuming. If we compare them side by side it is evident that environmental problems are more important that extinction of particular species. for example: let's say if a donkey ever get's extinct then it is hypothetically possible to create another one with help of cross between a horse and a mule, it might take some time but it is possible however it is impossible to rebuild a glacier which have been melted due to global warming or any other serious environmental problems.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and give a clear overall position: you see species loss as connected to other environmental problems, but judge issues such as global warming and plastic pollution to be more important in scale. The examples about ecosystem balance and glaciers support this comparison. However, the discussion is uneven: the first view receives several explanations, while the claim that species loss is a smaller problem is asserted more than demonstrated. The donkey example is hypothetical and does not convincingly show that extinction can be reversed; it may weaken your argument. Develop the opposing view with a more realistic example and explain more precisely why broader environmental threats have greater consequences.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is an overall line of thought, moving from the relationship between species loss and ecosystem problems to a comparison with wider threats. Linking expressions such as “For example,” “However,” and “if we compare them side by side” help signal this movement. However, the response is presented as one long paragraph, so the two views and your conclusion are not clearly separated. Several sentences contain multiple ideas joined together, making the progression difficult to follow; the opening example, in particular, shifts from oxygen demand to animal extinction without a clear explanation. Use separate paragraphs for the two views and your position, and make each sentence develop one main point. Clearer referencing would also help readers track what “these problems” refers to.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant environmental vocabulary, including “ecosystem,” “decomposer,” “global warming,” “plastic pollution,” and “extinction,” which allows you to discuss the topic with reasonable range. There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “ecosystem imbalanced” and “biological oxygen demand,” though some choices are inaccurate or awkward in context. Spelling errors such as “personnally,” “probleam,” and “dessert” are noticeable, and phrases like “wildlife fire” and “fertile the soil” are not natural collocations. These issues do not prevent the main message from being understood, but they reduce precision. Check spelling and choose established environmental terms, for example “wildfires” and “enrich the soil.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional structures such as “if a decomposer is lost” and comparisons introduced by “if we compare them side by side.” The main ideas are generally understandable, but some sentences are overloaded and contain errors in agreement, articles, and clause construction. For instance, “These problems requires” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “if there are no marine plants that creates…” does not form a clear grammatical relationship between its clauses. The final sentence also shifts awkwardly between hypothetical and present forms. Break long sentences into shorter units, check singular and plural agreement, and ensure each conditional clause has a clear main clause. This would make your complex ideas easier to follow.

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