Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-15
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)
In recent years some people believe that the main environmental issue of our time is loss of specific species of plants and animals. Whereas others argue that there are more crucial environmental problems could be harmful. This essay will explain both point of views in detail below.
On the one hand people say that loss of species of animals and plants can damagae to natural ecosystem and it has huge impact on human life. This means that if one species disappears it can diturb the food chain and natural balances. For example, looses of the gelly fish and cactuses make huge changes on the people meal in syria, there people used to consumed stir fried gelly fish with cactus soup in their meal, and after loss their daily food intake was imbalanced.
On the other hand other group of people believe that the pollution and climate change are more important issues and it affaect much larger number of people at serious level on long-term. In other words environmental issues what currently in trends have a great impact on people health and lifestyle and it make people unhealthy and weak on long-term because of unclear and polluted environment. For instance, air pollution, global warming and water pollution affect humans , animals and the whole planet.
In conclusion, although species loss is serious, pollution and climate change are more siginificant prooblems beecause their effects are wider than loss animals and plants species , it is affect millions of people all around the world with environmental damage in the clean and fresh air.
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 essay addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is inconsistent. The example provided regarding 'jellyfish and cactuses' in Syria is confusing and lacks logical relevance to the broader environmental argument, which weakens the overall task response. While the prompt asks for a discussion of both views, the supporting arguments for the first perspective are not well-grounded in reality, making the development feel somewhat superficial. To improve, ensure that examples are factual and directly support the main argument rather than relying on obscure or unclear scenarios.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is a basic attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion'. However, the flow within paragraphs is sometimes disjointed due to awkward phrasing and grammatical errors. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and some transitions feel mechanical. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that sentences within a paragraph are logically connected to the main topic sentence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and sophistication. There are several spelling errors, such as 'damagae', 'diturb', 'looses', 'gelly', 'siginificant', and 'prooblems'. Furthermore, word choices are sometimes imprecise, such as 'people meal' instead of 'diet' or 'people health' instead of 'public health'. The range of vocabulary is limited, and the student relies on basic terms. To improve, focus on learning topic-specific collocations related to the environment and proofreading for common spelling mistakes.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede readability. Issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'some people believe... whereas others argue... could be harmful'), missing articles, and incorrect preposition usage. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma placement. While the meaning is generally clear, the high frequency of errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on basic sentence construction and proofreading for subject-verb agreement would be highly beneficial.
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