Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-26
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 5.0)
Some people believe that the main environmental problem of our time is the loss of particular species of plants and animals, whereas others think that there are more important environmental problems.
Plants and animal are as important as any other specie for earth. Where there's a reason behind every thing in this world, they are also part of our eco system. Presence of plants and animals have several benefits. For example, plants provide us oxygen and food as well as part of many process such as photosynthesis, medicine and other goods. Animals are also one of our food resource. They are also used for textile, pharmaceutical purpose and for making goods.
On the other hand, there are many other environmental problems like climate change, global warming, flood and rain. For example, weather related problems such as intense heat and extreme cold weather, excessive rain is also not good for agriculture. In my opinion, plants and animals have there own space such as forestation and farming and cannot be ruled out for any other environmental problem.
In conclusion, loss of particular species of plants and animals are as important as any other environmental problem. We need to balance between all the problems and give attention to the ones needs most for the time being.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
The response attempts to address all parts of the task by discussing both views—that the loss of species is the main environmental problem versus other issues—and offering an opinion. However, the word count is only 213 words, which falls significantly short of the mandatory 250-word minimum requirement. Consequently, this under-length results in a penalty under Task Achievement, as ideas are left undeveloped and the argument lacks the necessary depth and extension. For example, the writer mentions climate change and floods in the body paragraph but fails to develop how these compare in severity to biodiversity loss. The personal position is also somewhat vague, stating that species loss is important alongside other problems without fully justifying why one might outweigh the other. Therefore, the task is addressed only partially, aligning with a Band 5 performance.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0
The essay displays a basic overall structure with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a brief conclusion, indicating some organization. However, progression is somewhat limited by the brevity of the paragraphs and repetitive sentence openings. Cohesive devices are used, but they tend to be mechanical or basic, such as 'On the other hand' and 'In conclusion'. Furthermore, referencing is occasionally imprecise, as seen in phrases like 'they are also part of our eco system' where the antecedent is slightly ambiguous. Paragraphing is attempted, but the paragraphs are underdeveloped and lack a smooth logical flow from one idea to the next. These limitations place the coherence and cohesion of the response firmly at a Band 5 level.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
The student uses a limited but minimally adequate range of vocabulary for the task, touching on relevant topics such as 'eco system', 'photosynthesis', 'pharmaceutical purpose', and 'climate change'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations throughout the text, such as 'any other specie' (species), 'food resource' (resources), and 'weather related problems such as intense heat and extreme cold weather, excessive rain is also not good' (grammatical mismatch in the list). Spelling errors also occur, such as 'eco system' (ecosystem) and 'there own space' (their). The vocabulary is sufficient to convey basic meaning, but frequent inaccuracies and a lack of less common lexical items restrict the score to a Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control is inconsistent, and errors are frequent enough to occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. There are noticeable grammatical inaccuracies, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('loss of particular species... are'), singular/plural confusions ('every thing', 'plant and animal'), and punctuation/run-on problems in lists. For instance, the sentence 'For example, weather related problems such as intense heat and extreme cold weather, excessive rain is also not good for agriculture' suffers from structural confusion. While basic sentences are generally understandable, attempts at more complex structures frequently result in faulty grammar. This profile corresponds to a Band 5.
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