Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-15

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 7.0)

Environmental issues are the most important and discussed topic in recent times alongside political unrest and economic issues. On a higher level, environmental problems can be pointed out as a broader umbrella term, which consists of multiple real life issues requiring attention. According to many, the issue requiring immediate attention is the potential extinction of particular species of plants and animals. Whereas for others, the rising temperature of the earth and its atmosphere, the drastic decrease in the quality of water and air through industrialisation are issues carrying higher weightage.

From the prehistoric era till today, there have been instances of a lot of species going extinct. Some of them were sufferers of ill fortune that resulted in their extinction, like dinosaurs. But for some other, human activities have been the major contributors for their extinction, like the elm tree in the UK or a particular species of parrot in Oceania. As the most developed species on earth, we should be more responsible towards the life of other species and prevent their extinction. The least we can do is to make sure no harm is done to the other species through our activities and modernisation.

However, according to other people including myself, the main environmental issue requiring our immediate attention is global warming along with the continuous degradation of the quality of resources like water and air. As a part of a 3rd world country, we can see how different and difficult our daily life has become from how it was just a few years ago. Air purifiers have become a necessity in bigger cities, whereas sources of underground water are becoming contaminated with various water borne diseases. Polar ice is melting very fast, resulting in a high risk for our coastal cities to come under the water in near future.

We can very well conclude by saying that the two segments of environmental issues discussed here are very much interlinked. Contaminated water sources are resulting into diseases amongst not only humans but also other animals. Polar bears are going extinct just because of global warming. There can be various of other examples which tells us that the best time to act on the issues is right now. And as the issues are interlinked, it should have a singular solution.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt adequately by discussing both views—the loss of plant and animal species versus broader environmental problems like global warming and pollution—and clearly states the writer's own opinion in the third paragraph. The ideas are generally well developed with relevant examples such as dinosaurs, elm trees, air purifiers, and melting polar ice. However, the position tends to lean heavily into one side rather than balancing the evaluation of both views thoroughly before deciding. The conclusion nicely ties the two viewpoints together by noting they are interlinked. This earns a solid Band 7.0 for addressing all parts of the prompt with a clear, supported position.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay demonstrates clear logical organisation and progression throughout. The introduction sets up the debate effectively, followed by body paragraphs dedicated to species extinction, the opposing view on global warming and pollution, and a concluding synthesis. Paragraphing is used appropriately. Cohesive devices are employed with reasonable flexibility, such as 'On a higher level', 'From the prehistoric era', 'However', and 'We can very well conclude'. There are occasional slight mechanical transitions, but the overall progression of ideas is easy to follow. This performance corresponds well to the Band 7.0 descriptors for logical organisation and cohesive device usage.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, incorporating less common items such as 'extinction', 'industrialisation', 'prehistoric era', 'contamination', and 'interlinked'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'carrying higher weightage' instead of 'carrying more weight' or 'being more important', and 'various of other examples' instead of 'various other examples'. Nevertheless, the lexical resource is sufficient for precision and the errors do not impede communication, placing the response firmly at a Band 6.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional or relative clauses like 'As the most developed species on earth, we should be more responsible...' and 'As a part of a 3rd world country, we can see how different and difficult our daily life has become...'. There are some grammatical errors and awkward phrasings, such as 'But for some other, human activities have been the major contributors for their extinction' (plural agreement/preposition issue) and 'resulting into diseases' (should be 'resulting in'). Despite these lapses, the structures are generally controlled and communication is never impeded, which aligns with the criteria for Band 6.5.

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