Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

The environmental issues are undeniably getting out of hand. While some people believe that the most important problem is the extinction of certain species of plants and animals, others would argue that there are bigger concerns when it comes to the environment, such as pollution. One argument says that we are losing particular plants and animals by the day, and that is one great concern. In fact, nature is losing its diversity. Hundreds of animals are going extinct for no reason but the carelessness of humans. In addition, the loss of plant species is becoming more serious. That loss of the fauna and flora of the Earth is creating an irreversible environmental imbalance. However, that alone couldn't be the more important issue than pollution. Advocates of the other school of thought are convinced that pollution is killing our nature's health. There are different yet equally dangerous kinds of pollution: sea pollution, air pollution, and land pollution. Starting with water pollution, humans are harming the seas as they make ships and yachts that let their toxic fuel into the sea, which does contribute to the extinction of a lot of sea creatures. Add to that, all the tons of rubbish and plastic waste are being thrown in seas or forests. A chemical product like plastic takes centuries to break down in the environment, which makes land pollution a bigger concern. Last but not least, air pollution is caused by the emission of carbon dioxide by cars, ships, and even industries, which leads to the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Those are the reasons why I support this school of thought, and I would argue that pollution is the main and most serious environmental issue. In a nutshell, even though the extinction of certain fauna and flora species is an important problem, pollution is the biggest issue that we have to tackle for the sake of our Mother Earth.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both views—that the loss of species is the main environmental problem, and that other issues like pollution are more important—while providing a clear personal opinion. The writer establishes a position in the introduction, supports it in the body paragraphs, and reiterates it in the conclusion. Ideas such as habitat loss, climate change, and various types of pollution are introduced and developed adequately. For instance, the discussion on sea, land, and air pollution provides specific examples like plastic waste and carbon dioxide emissions. While some arguments could be extended further to reach a higher band level, the task is fully addressed and meets the requirements of Band 7.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving smoothly from the introduction to the arguments for species loss, the counter-arguments for pollution, and finally the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used reasonably well to connect ideas, such as 'In addition', 'However', 'Starting with water pollution', and 'In a nutshell'. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the paragraphing could be improved by breaking the lengthy second body paragraph into two smaller paragraphs to better separate the distinct types of pollution. Overall, the structural flow is coherent and supports easy reading, aligning well with the Band 6.5 to 7.0 range.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for an academic task, successfully incorporating terms such as 'extinction', 'irreversible environmental imbalance', 'greenhouse effect', and 'climate change'. There are occasional slight awkwardness or inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'killing our nature's health' instead of 'harming the natural environment' and 'let their toxic fuel into the sea' rather than 'discharge toxic fuel'. Despite these minor flaws, the vocabulary used is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly without impeding communication, representing solid Band 6 performance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional and relative clauses like 'humans are harming the seas as they make ships... which does contribute to...'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings present, such as 'couldn't be the more important issue' instead of 'couldn't be a more important issue than' and 'all the tons of rubbish and plastic waste are being thrown' where article usage is slightly off. Nonetheless, these errors are non-systematic and rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the arguments easily. This profile fits the Band 6 descriptor well.

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