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)

Many individuals argue that loss of biodiversity is the main environmental concern right now. others

believe that there are more critical environmental disasters. extinction of species is considerably

a huge issue for the environmental ecosystem. However i belive there are more urgent issues like global warming and deforestation.

On the one hand, All species of animal and plants are very valuable to exist for to balance the nature's created

ecosystem. species of animals are extincting from past few decades. some of them we don't even know existed utill

we watch a documentary on it. for example the ice age elephant, we have only watch it in televisions or shows reflecting how it looked like

likewise plants have experienced the same phenomenon. Consequently continuous extinction of more and more species can hurt the

livings that are depended on them for their nutrition and that can further lead to more damage to environmental bio diversity.

On the other hand, environmental disasters created my humans is far more serious than any other issues. global warming and deforestation

if just looked at their consequences on earth one can release it can extinct not just animal or plants but humans too. rise in carbon emissions and loos of Significant proportion of forest have increased green house gases in the atmosphere more than ever and result into the rise of earths temperature, unusual

rain and floods. Additionally the global warming have caused recently a large hole in the earth ultervoilet protection layer. causing direct dangerous UV light to enter directly

caused cancers and various diseases in african countries.

In conclusion, Some believe think extinction of species of plants and animals is main problem because its hurting the enviromental biodiversity and starving animals dependent on those species. However i believe

global warming and deforestation are more serious threat to our environmental safety because of continuous floods, rise of temperature and carbon emission.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—that the loss of specific species is the main environmental problem, and that other issues are more critical—while providing a clear personal opinion. The position is maintained throughout the essay. Ideas are generally relevant, but some supporting points tend to be under-developed or contain factual inaccuracies, such as the claim about an 'ice age elephant' or ozone layer issues causing African skin cancers. Despite these minor content flaws, the writer extends ideas reasonably well, explaining how biodiversity loss affects nutrition and how global warming increases carbon emissions and temperatures. This performance aligns comfortably with the Band 6 descriptor, as all parts of the task are addressed and ideas are presented, even if some development lacks precision.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear four-paragraph structure comprising an introduction, two body paragraphs representing different views, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty and mechanical. For instance, the transition 'others believe' lacks capitalisation at the start of the sentence, and phrases like 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand' are used, but logical progression between sentences occasionally falters due to punctuation errors and run-on sentences. Referencing is also somewhat imprecise in places, such as when pronouns lack clear antecedents. These features place the response firmly in the Band 6 category, where cohesion works adequately overall despite mechanical flaws.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'biodiversity', 'ecosystem', 'deforestation', and 'green house gases'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, form, and collocation. Examples include 'extinction of species is considerably a huge issue', 'extincting' instead of 'becoming extinct', 'watch it in televisions', and 'loos' instead of 'loss'. Furthermore, 'ultervoilet' contains spelling errors. While these errors do not impede overall communication—the reader can easily grasp the intended meaning—the frequency of word-formation and spelling errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. This reflects the standard characteristics of a Band 6 performance in Lexical Resource.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response exhibits a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some ambition with subordinate clauses and conditional meanings. However, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly regarding capitalization ('However i belive', 'All species'), subject-verb agreement ('the global warming have caused'), and article usage. Many sentences lack correct internal punctuation, leading to run-on structures like 'rise in carbon emissions and loos of Significant proportion of forest have increased green house gases in the atmosphere more than ever and result into the rise of earths temperature'. While these errors occasionally demand rereading, they rarely completely impede communication. This balance of mixed structures and frequent lower-level grammatical slips matches the Band 5 descriptor well.

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