Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-11

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)

A lot of people have been split about environmental problems seeing as some think that the main problem in our current day and age is the loss of particular species of plants and animals while others disagree since they believe that there are more important environmental problems in my humble opinion the loss of flora and Fauna is a really important problem since it is actively destroying the natural order of things because nature relies on a chain like ecosystem so if one link breaks the whole chain is bound to collapse which is the case of the extinction of certain animals and plants that preserve the delicate balance of this ecosystem i also think that there are other alse other important environmental problems that should be addressed the primary one being the ozone layer depletion cause by the pollution we created which is putting us all at risk of direct uv ray exposure which is really dangerous because it can cause cancerous cells to form rapidly leading to skin cancer in the most severe cases or bad burns adding to that this depletion has been linked to the heating of the globe with effects seen everywhere especially in the frozen regions where the ice caps started to vanish and the polar ice sheets to melt but we can't really prioritize one problem over the other since they are all related to each other and cause one another for example the melting of the ice caps is causing the extinction of certain species of animals and plants in conclusion there no such thing as the most important problem and so we should try to deal with all these problems in a planned way and trying to get the whole world to cooperate to solve them

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion, fulfilling the main requirements of the prompt. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention the loss of species and ozone depletion, the arguments are presented in a single, dense block of text rather than being fully extended with specific, illustrative examples. The discussion of the 'natural order' and 'ozone layer' is relevant, but the analysis remains at a surface level. To reach a higher band, ensure that each viewpoint is explored in a separate paragraph with more depth and concrete evidence.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay lacks paragraphing, which is a significant issue for coherence. The entire response is written as one long paragraph, making it difficult for the reader to follow the transition between the two viewpoints and your own opinion. While you use some cohesive devices like 'adding to that' and 'in conclusion', the lack of structural breaks makes the progression of ideas feel mechanical and cluttered. To improve, you must organize your response into clear paragraphs: one for the first view, one for the second, one for your opinion, and one for the conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. You use some appropriate terms like 'ecosystem', 'extinction', and 'depletion', but there is a reliance on repetitive and informal phrasing such as 'a lot of people' and 'really important'. There are also some minor errors in word choice, such as 'heating of the globe' instead of 'global warming'. To improve, try to incorporate more academic collocations and avoid overly simplistic descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay is characterized by a lack of punctuation, which creates long, run-on sentences that are difficult to parse. For example, the entire introduction and first body paragraph consist of only two or three sentences despite their length. There are also errors in capitalization and basic sentence structure. While you attempt some complex structures, the lack of commas and periods significantly impacts the clarity of your writing. Focusing on sentence boundaries and basic punctuation rules will immediately improve the readability and accuracy of your work.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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