Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-11-02

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 there are rising concerns regarding the environmental issues . Some people believe that main threat to environment is loss of species of flora and fauna . Whereas others believe that other than this there are several more significant environmental problems . In my perception , there are numerous problems along with the loss of species.

To commense with , there is huge contribution of plants and animals in balancing the ecosystem and heirarchy . Many micro organisms such as earthworms are regarded as friends of farmers as it helps to increase fertility of a soil. Some birds or animals feed on pests and other organisms which often cause deadliest diseases. As plants play significant role to maintain the environment ,loss of it will cause major threat to humans . The reason behind their loss is deforestation , loss of habitat , haunting , unfavorable environment conditions, human activities .

The pointing finger towards the environmental issues is at human activities . As due to increase in urbanization , industries and technology detrimental effects are seen on environment. For instance , the sudden flood in the Nepal is due to the construction of a tunnel inside the mountains, due to the vibration of it the glacier got displaced and due to global warming it melts down and resulted into devasting flood . As humans are chasing only benefts from technologies without keeping the detrimental effect of it in mind .

To recapitulate , there are plenty of reasons of environmental problems and due to that , there is loss of spieces . Technology should be used in such a way that it makes environmental sustainable .

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views by explaining why species loss matters and then identifying human activity, urbanisation, industry and technology as wider environmental concerns. Your position is present in the introduction and conclusion: you see several problems alongside species loss and call for more sustainable use of technology. However, the discussion is uneven. The first body paragraph explains the ecological value of species, but the second focuses on one flood example without clearly comparing its importance with species loss or explaining the broader environmental problems. The Nepal example is also difficult to follow, so its relevance is not fully established. Develop both sides more evenly, explain your own judgement directly, and support it with clearer cause-and-effect reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. The sequence from the importance of species to human-caused environmental damage is generally understandable, and phrases such as “To recapitulate” signal the ending. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear. The second body paragraph begins with “The pointing finger towards the environmental issues is at human activities,” then moves through urbanisation, technology and a specific flood without clearly linking each point. Some connectors, including repeated “due to,” make the explanation feel mechanical, while “Whereas” starts a fragment rather than joining the contrast smoothly. Use clearer topic sentences and explicit links between claims, evidence and your overall comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “ecosystem,” “fertility,” “deforestation,” “habitat,” “urbanization” and “global warming.” These choices show awareness of environmental terminology, and the main ideas remain understandable. There are, however, several inaccurate or awkward word choices and spelling errors that limit precision: “haunting” appears to mean “hunting,” “heirarchy” is unclear in this context, and “devasting” and “spieces” are misspelled. Phrases such as “loss of it” and “makes environmental sustainable” are also not natural collocations. Check spelling carefully and learn common word partnerships, such as “maintain environmental sustainability” and “loss of biodiversity,” so your vocabulary communicates ideas more precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex structures, including a relative clause in “organisms which often cause…” and a conditional idea in “loss of it will cause…”. Meaning is usually recoverable, but errors in sentence formation and grammatical control are noticeable. “Whereas others believe…” is a fragment, and “Many micro organisms … as it helps” has a mismatch between the plural subject and singular pronoun and verb. The flood explanation also relies on a long chain of clauses joined by “due to,” making the relationships difficult to follow. Articles and plural forms are inconsistent, as in “a soil” and “loss of species.” Practise complete sentences, subject–verb agreement and punctuation, especially when explaining several causes.

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