Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-29

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 past, there were variety of species of plants and animals, also there was no such environmental problem. However, today some species of plants and animals are becoming extinct and there are many other problems like climate change, depleation of ozone layer, etc. Meanwhile somepeople agrue that that the main environmental problem of our time is the loss of particular species of plants and animals, Some says that there are more important environmental problems. In this essay I will write arguments for both view points and give my personal opinion at the end.

On the one hand, there is no denying that loss of particular species of plants and animals is one of the major problem of today's. As food chain is affected by loss of particular species of animals and due to the disappearance of spefic plants, some animals become homeless, as many animals use plants to hide or lay their eggs. Moreover, owing to extinction of specific animals and plants, our future generation will not be able to see them. as at that time there will be no evidence of there species. Apart from it, farming industry is largely afffected by loss of particular species, as animals like bees are very rare these days and they transfer pollen of one plant to another plant, which help plant to germinate. Similarly, some species of plants helps crop to grow, as they provide adequate minerals, protection from weed.

On the other hand, there are many other environmeltal problems which need quick recognition. Firstly, nowadays, climate change is one them, as there are enough evidences of climate change and due to this we are suffering from infrequent monsoon, droughts, floods, harsh winters and extreme hot summer. Not only this, air pollution is also a crucial environment problem because human being need fresh air to breath properly and air quality index is very poor due to increased usage of cars, industries emmiting pollution, hence many toxic gases like CO2, CFC etc are mixed in air which are causing diseased like asthma. Lastly, depleation of ozone layer is also crucial as due to this harmful uv rays of the sun can be experienced on earth surface and due to the exposure to harmful rays human beings are suffering from diseases like skin cancer.

In conclusion, I believe that particular species of plants and animals is not the only environmental problem, there are many more problems which need quick fix because they are causing severe damage to earth as well as inhabitants on earth.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—the loss of plant and animal species versus other pressing environmental issues—and provides a clear personal opinion in the introduction and conclusion. Ideas are adequately extended and supported with relevant examples, such as the role of bees in pollination and the impacts of climate change like droughts and floods. However, there is a tendency to over-generalise in places, and some arguments are slightly repetitive. The development is mostly clear and fulfills the core requirements of Task 2. This performance aligns well with Band 6.5 to 7.0; looking closely at the descriptive requirements, it meets Band 6 by addressing all parts with relevant ideas, though some extension could be sharper.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay is divided into logical paragraphs with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs exploring opposing views, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Moreover', and 'Lastly' are used to structure the text, though some transitions feel a bit mechanical. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the final sentence where 'particular species of plants and animals' is said to be 'not the only environmental problem', which causes a slight ambiguity in phrasing. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas. Overall, the organization displays a coherent arrangement that fits the Band 6 descriptor.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, attempting less common items such as 'extinction', 'pollination', 'air quality index', and 'greenhouse gases' (implied via toxic gases). However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors throughout the text, such as 'depleation' (depletion), 'spefic' (specific), 'afffected' (affected), 'emmiting' (emitting), and 'diseased' (diseases). While these errors do not severely impede communication, they restrict the lexical score to a Band 6, as the range is sufficient for the task but marred by frequent lexical slips and inaccurate spellings.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly concerning articles, pluralisation, and punctuation (e.g., comma splices and fragment sentences like 'as at that time there will be no evidence of there species'). Other errors include missing articles ('loss of particular species' instead of 'the loss'), subject-verb agreement issues ('plant to germinate' instead of 'plants to germinate'), and incorrect pronouns ('there species' instead of 'their species'). Because these errors persist across complex structures and cause occasional difficulty for the reader, a Band 5.0 is appropriate.

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