Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-10-09

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)

Environmental problems are becoming more frequent in present times. Although some contend that it is due to the extinction of specific species of plants and animals, I agree with those who argue that there are other factors involved in environmental issues.

Nowadays, some species of plants and animals are endangered and thus creating detrimental impacts on environment. If plants and animals become extinct then other creatures, whose habitat is dependent on them will also perish from the nature. This reults in disruption in habitats of animals and plants. For example, animals and plants are inter-dependent with each other, some species of animals preys on plants. Therefore, if either of the species become extinct then it effects environment badly.

Nevertheless, there are some other crucial problems that are linked with environment such as pollution and deforestation. This is because polluting the natural resources like air, water and soil directly devastate on the environment. For instance, air pollution caused by fuel consumption in vehicles releases impure emission of gases that causes global warming. Other factor that environment face is deforestation, people often cut-down trees for urbanizing or agricultural reasons which results in loss of environmental benefits. Consequently, these unethical environmental problems does create major issues on the climate change.Plants should be protected by the stakeholders.

In conclusion, however one of the environment problem is extinction of particular species of flora and fauna, I feel that there are several other problems related to environment such as pollution and deforestation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both views and make your position clear: you accept that species loss is a problem but consider pollution and deforestation more important. The examples of interdependence in ecosystems and vehicle emissions are relevant. However, the discussion is brief and some reasoning is unclear or under-developed—for example, the explanation of how species extinction disrupts habitats repeats the general point rather than showing its wider consequences. The deforestation point also needs a specific example or fuller explanation. The response is four words below the required minimum, which contributes to the limited development. To strengthen the response, explain each view in more depth and support your opinion with a clear comparison of their scale or effects.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two views, and a conclusion that restates your opinion. Linking expressions such as “For example,” “Nevertheless,” and “Consequently” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear. In the first body paragraph, the explanation moves from extinction to habitat disruption and then to predator-prey relationships without clearly connecting these points. The phrase “Plants should be protected by the stakeholders” feels detached from the preceding discussion. Some linking is also mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “Therefore” and “For instance.” Organise each paragraph around one main claim, then explain and illustrate it before moving on.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “endangered,” “extinct,” “pollution,” “deforestation,” and “global warming,” which allows you to address the environmental topic. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “detrimental impacts” and “inter-dependent.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, sometimes making the meaning less clear: “devastate on the environment,” “impure emission of gases,” and “urbanizing” do not express the intended ideas naturally. “Environmental problems” and “environment” are also repeated frequently. Aim for precise collocations and vary repeated terms; for example, describe pollution as “damaging ecosystems” and refer to “habitat loss” when discussing deforestation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including a conditional sentence beginning “If plants and animals become extinct” and a contrast clause introduced by “Although.” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “some species of animals preys” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “if either of the species become extinct” needs agreement with “either.” Articles and sentence construction also need attention in “on environment” and “Other factor that environment face is deforestation.” Punctuation is sometimes faulty, as in the run-on ending “climate change.Plants.” Practise checking agreement, articles, and sentence boundaries, especially in longer sentences, while continuing to use varied structures.

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