Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-08-25
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)
Many citizens believe that deforestation is the main environmental problem of today while others think that environmental problems are more significant . There is no doubt that environmental problems causes many negative effects on humans and our sarounding but there is solid reasons behind it. In this essay I will discuss both sides and then give my opinion .
First of all, those people who think that loss of particular plants and animals are main problem. I think that they are right. Because today due to overpopulation man has to survive for meeting his basic needs . Therefore they cut the plants for the fossil fuel , furniture and for making houses. Furthermore they are also destroys the forests for the agricultural lands , for making new cities and also for the railways, highways , moterways . That's why many animal species are near to extinct.
On the other hand those civilians who think that environmental problems are more important may be wrong because these environmental problems are caused due to deforestation . The reason is that when deforestation occurs then there is not enough oxygen produced and also they could not absorb enough carbon dioxide . Due to this there produce many respiratory diseases occurs. The temperature of our earth also increases and cause global warming due to this glachiars melt and cause flooding. Also there is not enough plants to absorb enough plutants.
Conclusively , loss of animals and deforestation is more important problem by reducing it we can easily reduce environmental problems.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both views and provides an opinion, but the development is limited. While you identify deforestation as a key issue, the argument lacks depth and specific examples. The prompt asks to discuss the loss of species versus other environmental problems (such as climate change or pollution), but your essay conflates these, essentially arguing that deforestation causes all other problems. This leads to a somewhat circular argument. To reach a higher band, you should clearly distinguish between the two viewpoints and provide more nuanced support for why one might be considered more pressing than the other, rather than simply stating they are the same.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which is a positive step. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'First of all' and 'On the other hand' are used, but the transitions between sentences within paragraphs are sometimes abrupt. The referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the second paragraph where 'they' is used to refer to 'man', 'plants', and 'forests' in a confusing manner. The conclusion is very brief and does not effectively summarise the main points of the discussion, making the overall progression feel somewhat disjointed.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The range of vocabulary is limited and repetitive. You rely on basic terms like 'environmental problems', 'plants', and 'animals' throughout the text. There are also several errors in word choice and spelling, such as 'sarounding' (surroundings), 'moterways' (motorways), 'glachiars' (glaciers), and 'plutants' (pollutants). These errors occasionally impede the reader's flow. To improve, you should focus on using more precise academic vocabulary related to the environment, such as 'biodiversity', 'ecosystem degradation', or 'anthropogenic factors', and ensure correct spelling of key terms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentences, but grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'environmental problems causes', 'there produce many respiratory diseases occurs') and article usage. Sentence structure is often fragmented, particularly in the second paragraph where sentences like 'Because today due to overpopulation man has to survive for meeting his basic needs' are grammatically incomplete. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of basic grammatical errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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