Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-24
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 present days, some people consider the loss of specific plant and animal species as a key factor of environmental issues. In contrast other individuals focus on different environmental challenges. In my opinion, loss of biodiversity is a crucial issue faced by environment.
Considering the removal of plants and animals can disrupt the whole ecosystem. Whole food chain will be disturbed, if any plant or animal species is lost from an area. For example, in the food chain, the goats feed on plants, and if these plants are lost from a particular area it can cause the death of goats due to shortage of food. In the same manner, animals feeding on the goats will also be affected and start dying.
On the other hand, some people prefer other environmental issues to be considered as more important. These environmental issues can be pollution or water scarcity. The pollution includes either water pollution, air pollution or soil pollution. In this perspective, these environmental issues directly threat to humans. This can be exemplified by water pollution. Water plays a significant role in our lives. Furthermore, it is required to spend and fulfill our basic needs of our life. Without water, life could not exist. As, we want water for drinking, washing, and cooking. Water pollution in water boddies disturbs the fiishes by chocking their gills. And, if polluted water is used by a human, it results in various human diseases.
To conclude with my opinion, i believe that other environmental issues can be controlled and renewed by taking several measures. Nevertheless, once biodiversity is permanently lost, it can not be resumed.
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 response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views on whether the loss of biodiversity is the primary environmental issue and providing a clear personal opinion. The position is stated in the introduction and maintained throughout the essay. Ideas are generally extended and supported, such as the example of goats and plants within a food chain. However, some arguments lack deeper elaboration. For instance, the counterargument concerning pollution touches upon water scarcity and pollution but could have been developed further with more sophisticated support. Nonetheless, the task is successfully covered, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph-by-paragraph structure that moves from the introduction to the primary view, the contrasting view, and the conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed, such as 'In contrast', 'For example', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude with my opinion'. However, some cohesive referencing and transitions are a bit mechanical or faulty, such as starting a sentence with 'As, we want water for drinking...' and using 'Water pollution in water boddies disturbs the fiishes by chocking their gills' rather than smoothly integrating ideas. Paragraphing is clear, but logical progression could be smoother. This corresponds to a Band 6 level.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'biodiversity', 'disrupt the whole ecosystem', and 'water scarcity'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, including 'boddies' instead of bodies, 'fiishes' instead of fishes, 'chocking' instead of choking, and the lowercase 'i' used for the pronoun 'I' in the conclusion. These lexical inaccuracies and occasional spelling mistakes reflect the Band 6 descriptor where vocabulary is sufficient for the task but contains errors that do not severely impede communication.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at conditional structures and relative clauses (e.g., 'Whole food chain will be disturbed, if any plant or animal species is lost from an area'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation lapses, such as missing articles ('faced by environment' instead of 'faced by the environment'), incorrect preposition usage ('direct threat to humans' instead of 'direct threat to humans'), and awkward phrasing ('it is required to spend and fulfill our basic needs of our life'). These errors do not entirely impede communication, placing the grammar score solidly at Band 5.5 to 6.0; given the mix of structures and overall comprehensibility, a 6.0 is appropriate.
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.