Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-22

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)

Some people argue that disappearance of some specific kinds of trees and animals is the primary environmental issue nowadays, while, another school of thought also exists, which says there are numerous other environmental problems, which are crucial than loss of any kind of plants and animals. Arguably, I believe in second school of thought that some other environmental problems are more dangerous such as, rapid climate change or global warming.

Undoubtedly, biodiversity is dispensable to have healthy environment on the earth and within food chain in animals and in recent years there is a significant climb in endangoured species of some plants and animals due to deforestation by humans to meet the construction requirments for increasing population on earth. This has also caused complete wipeout of some species of plant and animals, affecting our food chain.

Other than this issue, there are many other major problems, which are more significant and damaging our earth in the more harsh way than the loss discussed. For example, increase in the width of Carbon dioxide layer in the atmosphere, rapid climate changes, and a significant increase in earth's temperature are caused by carbon emittted by internal combustion engines and various human activities, which leads to increase in flood in many regions, glciers are melting drametically and many other issues, which can not be left unaddressed.

Everything taken into account, both, species loss and climate change are integral environmental issues these days, but we can not label disappearance of any kind of plant or animal as main problem, whereas, we need to give equal importance to all issues and try to resolve them to make our environment sustainable.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention biodiversity and climate change, the arguments lack depth and specific examples. For instance, you mention 'deforestation' and 'carbon emitted by internal combustion engines' but do not fully explain how these specifically relate to the comparison of environmental priorities. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is supported with more detailed reasoning or illustrative evidence. The conclusion is clear, but the overall argument remains somewhat superficial.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Undoubtedly', 'Other than this issue', and 'Everything taken into account' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. The referencing is generally clear, but there are instances where the connection between ideas could be more sophisticated. Overall, the structure is coherent, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'biodiversity', 'dispensable', 'sustainable', and 'internal combustion engines'. However, there are several spelling errors ('endangoured', 'requirments', 'emittted', 'glciers', 'drametically') and some awkward collocations, such as 'width of Carbon dioxide layer' and 'climb in endangoured species'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do limit the precision of your writing. To improve, focus on accurate spelling and using words in their correct contextual collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as missing articles ('on the earth', 'in the food chain'), incorrect word forms ('crucial than' instead of 'more crucial than'), and punctuation issues. Some sentences are slightly disjointed due to these errors. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these slips prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles would significantly improve your accuracy.

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