Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-09
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)
Plants and animals are involved in the food chain. Although environment degradation is the major concern in today's world. Some people believe that loss of special species of plants and animals is the main problem. While, other argue that changing in climates are more important. I partially believe that climate change is the most critical problem, but biodiversity is also significant role in maintain climate.
On the one hand, disappearance of particular species can have several consequences for the natural environment. Every plant and animal plays a crucial role in ecological balance and inter-connect with the food chain. If one specie is vanish, it breaks the food chain and disrupt ecosystems. Moreover, biodiversity provides human resources such as fruits, vegetables or other foods, medicine plants and genetic biodiversity. For example, vanishing one small animal or plant specie like bees or crops. It is difficult to survive for human. Therefore, protecting endangered species is essential for both environment and human.
On the other hand, climate change, pollution in water, air or land, and deforestation is more significantly affect on the environment. It increases several challenges for human like rising global temperature because of global warming, increase the sea level and unpredictable raining or climate change. That's affects on humans, plants and animals. For instance, increasing frequency of raining in particular part of world, it affect on agriculture and public health.
In conclusion, although species extinction is a seriously damage ecosystems and life threaten for human resources. However, I believe climate change, pollution and destruction of habitat are more important and it's leads to fast disappearance of species and loss biodiversity.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both views and providing a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant, such as the role of biodiversity in the food chain and the impact of climate change on agriculture. However, the development is somewhat limited; the arguments are presented in a general way without deep analysis. For instance, the link between climate change and the 'fast disappearance of species' is mentioned in the conclusion but not fully explored in the body paragraphs. The position is consistent throughout, but the supporting examples, such as 'bees or crops', are brief and could be more effectively integrated to strengthen the argument.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central topic. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as the transition 'While, other argue' or 'That's affects on humans'. Additionally, there are instances where the flow between sentences is disjointed, particularly in the second paragraph where the transition between the food chain and human resources feels abrupt. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be improved for better logical progression.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'biodiversity', 'ecological balance', 'extinction', and 'deforestation'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'medicine plants' (medicinal plants), 'specie is vanish' (species vanishes), and 'life threaten' (life-threatening). These errors do not impede communication, but they limit the precision of the writing. To reach a higher band, the student should focus on using more accurate collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the writer attempts complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'other argue', 'That's affects on humans') and article usage. Some sentences are fragmented or lack proper structure, such as 'For example, vanishing one small animal or plant specie like bees or crops.' Despite these errors, the meaning remains clear throughout the text. The punctuation is generally functional, but the control over complex grammatical forms is inconsistent, which prevents the response from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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