Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-09-30

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)

some critics claim climate change has occured due to the extinction of specific plants and animals, while others believe in different factors which are contributing to this problem.In this essay contemporary issues related to changes in the weather and eradication of the forestry in addition to extinction of species negative impacts on ecosysytem will be discussed.

Believers of extinct forestry and animals impact on plants are refering to the fact that recently over chopping of the rainforest has been increased substantially which were absorbing the carbon emissions (CO2). That was the major contributer in the climate change.for instance, trimming of plants in buner mountains had badly effected the conditions of the nearby towns, according to local researchers.

However, I agree with other group of the community who believe in some vital contributers of the natural disasters, which would have been not possible without contemprary innovations.such as industrial revolution which is a major player of the worsening conditions of the ecosystem. When the discovery of coal and its use in significant number of factories initiated people were not aware how bad it can be for the environment which was later felt by the populace. for example, after first industrial revolution in the UK poisen emissions of gase from industries made the clouds and acidity rain had effected large number of citizens in the city of london.

In conclusion, plants and other species impacts on the environment can not be ignore but the most essential contributors are the new industries and technological hubs who creates big machines and put them in cold areas under glashiers or oceans for the purpose of cloud computing.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views on environmental problems—specifically the loss of plant and animal species versus other factors like industrialisation—and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and occasionally drifts into tangential details, such as cloud computing in the conclusion. Terms like 'ecosysytem' and 'contributer' reflect minor lapses in precision, and the arguments regarding plant extinction are intertwined with deforestation rather than solely focusing on species loss. Despite these shortcomings, the prompt is adequately engaged with, and a distinct stance is maintained throughout the essay. This performance aligns best with the Band 6 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay is divided into four paragraphs with a clear overall progression from introduction to body arguments and conclusion. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or awkwardly placed, as seen in the transition 'Believers of extinct forestry and animals impact on plants are refering to the fact...' Furthermore, referencing is occasionally unclear, and paragraphing could be improved to better separate distinct ideas. Sentences are generally linked together, but the lack of smooth logical transitions between paragraphs reduces the overall cohesion. Punctuation errors, such as missing capitalisation at the beginning of sentences and after full stops, also disrupt the flow of reading. These characteristics fit the Band 5.5 to 6.0 range, comfortably landing at a Band 6.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'contemporary', 'eradication', 'industrial revolution', and 'populace'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, including 'occured', 'ecosysytem', 'contributer', 'refering', 'poisen', and 'glashiers'. Collocations are occasionally unnatural, such as 'poisen emissions of gase' and 'acidity rain'. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they restrict the lexical score, as the writer lacks the precision required for higher bands. The vocabulary used is sufficient to convey basic meaning, matching the Band 5.5 to 6.0 profile.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and subordinate structures like 'When the discovery of coal and its use in significant number of factories initiated people were not aware...'. However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are frequent missing commas, lack of capitalisation after periods (e.g., 'problem.In this essay', 'climate change.for instance'), and errors in subject-verb agreement or tense consistency. For instance, 'acidity rain had effected' contains both a word-form error and a spelling error, and 'who creates big machines' should pluralise or agree with its antecedent. Although meaning is usually clear despite these errors, the density of punctuation and grammatical slips prevents the essay from reaching a higher band.

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

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