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)

There is a great debate in society about the major environment problem. Becasue of unfavorable climate change, particular species of plants and animals might lost completly from earth, however, in my opinion, other environmental problems like melting rate of glaciers, which cause increase in sea level. as well as rise in temperature every year are more important issues to address first.

On the one hand, high carbon emision causes a boost in melting glaciers. Glaciers are the main source of drinkable water. Because of increase length and intensity of summer, more number of glaciers started to converting into the water which can be dangerous for humans in the form of stroms, shortage of drinkable water and landsliding. Last year in Swat many people have lost thier lives and homes because of a stroms. It has severly disrupts the economy of Swat espacially because it contains beautiful tourist sites.

On the other hand, continuously increasing temperature created a choas among people. As major economies and industries are not willing to reduce their carbon footprints, hesidents to use environment friendly procedure which cause them a significant cut to their profits, it became very difficult of a layman to survive in such hot summers. In Europe, there are some rail pathways and roads that got destorded by the amount of heat. People fough with each other to buy air conditioners.

In conclusion, taking steps to overcome rising temepratures and controling melting gracliers is more important.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The student addresses both views regarding whether plant and animal loss is the main environmental problem or if other issues are more significant, and provides a clear personal opinion favouring climate change issues like melting glaciers and rising temperatures. However, the response has a few limitations. First, the essay contains only 242 words, failing to meet the minimum requirement of 250 words, which incurs a penalty on Task Achievement. Second, while the ideas are relevant, some points are under-developed or lack sufficient supporting detail, such as the brief mention of biodiversity loss in the introduction which is never fully explored in the body paragraphs. The position is clear throughout, but the lack of length and slight imbalance in addressing the prompt keep this score at Band 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay is organised into four paragraphs, including an introduction, two body paragraphs representing opposing views, and a brief conclusion. There is a general progression of ideas, with explicit transition phrases such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes faulty or mechanical. For example, sentences in the second body paragraph such as 'Because of increase length and intensity of summer, more number of glaciers started to converting into the water' lack smooth transitions and exhibit awkward phrasing that disrupts the flow. Paragraphing is used, but the conclusion is extremely short and abrupt. These issues reflect Band 6 performance in terms of coherence and cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student attempts a range of vocabulary relevant to environmental issues, such as 'carbon emission', 'glaciers', 'biodiversity', and 'temperatures'. However, there are numerous lexical errors and spelling mistakes throughout the text, including 'Becasue' instead of Because, 'lost completly' instead of lost completely, 'emision' instead of emission, 'choas' instead of chaos, 'hesidents' instead of hesitates, and 'destorded' instead of destroyed. While the writer attempts less common vocabulary, these frequent spelling and word-choice errors occasionally impede communication and restrict the score. The lexical resource demonstrates a limited but minimally adequate range, fitting Band 5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures. However, grammatical accuracy is weak, with frequent errors that cause difficulty for the reader. Examples include fragment sentences and punctuation errors, such as 'which cause increase in sea level. as well as rise in temperature', subject-verb agreement issues like 'more number of glaciers started to converting', and incorrect preposition use or word forms such as 'it became very difficult of a layman'. Because simple sentences often contain errors and complex structures are frequently faulty, the grammar falls squarely into Band 5.

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

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