Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-16

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 today's rapidly changing world, pollution or environmental damage has become an increasingly prevalent issue that impacts various aspects of our daily life. Some people think that the loss of plants and animal species are the major environmental concern nowadays, but others argue that there are many other environmental issues.In my view, we are dealing with both of the issues equally, like the loss of species and also the environmental issues have different problems that it causes.

Environmental damage or pollution is increasing globally and it becomes a global issue. As the environmental damage lead to the drastic change in the climate or changed the climate drastically. Due to the change of climate, we are losing many of the plants and animal species. In addition to that, if we are losing many of the plants and animal species, it will disturb the whole ecosystem and the ecosystem will collapse.Here we can take an example of woolly mammoth, which was a similar species to the elephant, found in the cold regions. And it got extinct because of the environmental damage or due to the climatic problem. And many of the species right now are endangered that they would get extinct in mere times if the climate conditions did not go well.When a species goes extinct, it disturbs the whole food chain. For example, if one species is preying on other species and the predator goes extinct, the number of preys will increase and it will disturb the whole ecosystem and the food chain also.

These environmental problems not only affecting the population of plant and animal species, but also gives a higher risk of health damage to the humans. Excessive pollution due to the vehicles and industries and the car emissions are leading to the severe environmental damage, and it is affecting the health of people dramatically. Due to the pollution, people often get allergies, asthmas, and cardiovascular diseases, and many other congenital diseases. Due to the pollution, the drinking water is getting contaminated, and the people, most of the people in cities and other areas, are getting contaminated water. This contamination in water also disturbs the aquatic life. And the environmental damage is also leading to the To the acid rain, it damages the historical building that are, that we are preserving for years, and also damages the houses, paints, and different things. Also, it gets mixed with the river and lakes, and due to the pollutants in it, the aquatic life gets disturbed.

In conclusion, loss of species is not only one environmental problem, but also it is leading to the disturbance in ecosystem and also harm the public health , it also contaminates soil, water, and air, which has drastic effect on human health.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both the loss of species and other environmental issues, while also providing a personal opinion. However, the thesis statement and position in the introduction are somewhat confusingly phrased, stating 'we are dealing with both of the issues equally,' which does not clearly state a distinct perspective on which problem is more significant. Ideas are generally relevant, but the development lacks depth. For instance, the discussion on climate change and ecosystems touches on valid points, but the example of the woolly mammoth is historically inaccurate as an extinction caused by recent human-driven environmental damage. The conclusion attempts to summarise the main points but introduces repetitive phrasing. Overall, the response meets the criteria for Band 6 because it addresses all parts of the task with relevant ideas, though some areas are under-developed or unclear.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing separating the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. However, cohesion at the sentence level is frequently faulty or mechanical. There are numerous punctuation and spacing errors, such as missing spaces after full stops (e.g., 'environmental issues.In my view' and 'collapse.Here we can take'), which disrupts the smooth flow of reading. Furthermore, referencing and transitional phrases are sometimes awkward or repetitive, such as the frequent reliance on 'due to the' and 'and also' throughout the body paragraphs. While logical progression is attempted, the mechanical execution of cohesive devices and mechanical errors place this criterion firmly at a Band 5.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms such as 'prevalent issue,' 'ecosystem,' 'endangered,' and 'contamination.' However, there are noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, the phrase 'in mere times' is unnatural, and the student repeats basic phrases like 'environmental damage' and 'pollution' excessively rather than using varied synonyms. Additionally, there are word-formation and grammatical-lexical slips such as 'allergies, asthmas, and cardiovascular diseases.' Despite these errors and the limited flexibility in less common vocabulary, the vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate the main ideas, aligning with the Band 6 descriptor.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay incorporates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional structures ('if one species is preying...') and relative clauses. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement and article usage, such as 'the loss of plants and animal species are' instead of 'is,' and 'leading to the To the acid rain.' Tense consistency is also occasionally problematic, shifting awkwardly between present and past aspects. Punctuation control is weak, with multiple run-on sentences and comma splices, alongside missing spaces after punctuation marks. Because errors are frequent and occasionally require the reader to re-read to grasp the exact meaning, this falls into the Band 5 category.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.