Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-06

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)

In the recent years, environmental concerns has driven attention in the society which eventually causes loss of particular species of flora and fauna. A major drawback is that deforestation has become normal, which destroys the natural vegetation of the wildlife. It also risks the lives of various endangered plants and animals. This situation also affects the human kind in many ways. Some of the factors like migration of people, exceeding populatiuon, developmental activities which includes building of bridges, fly-overs, metro trains and other activities. In order to accomodate the population within the jurisdiction, the existing natural resources like lakes, rivers, ponds, forests are all demolished and converted into apartments, real estates, malls, arena. This eventually results in the increase of temperature globally affecting naturally dependent beings like plants and animals. For instance, red pandas, one horned rhinocerous which is rapidly decresing in number. These endangered animals should be preserved by providing them their natural wildlife setup for survival.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.5

First and foremost, it is critical to note the length requirement: this task requires a minimum of 250 words, but the student's response contains only 158 words, leaving the essay 92 words short of the minimum. Regarding content, the response only partially addresses the prompt. While it touches upon the loss of species and mentions human factors like development, it fails to properly discuss both views in depth or provide a clearly formulated personal opinion as requested by the task instructions. Ideas remain limited and under-developed, such as the brief mentioning of 'red pandas, one horned rhinocerous which is rapidly decresing in number' without further elaboration. To reach higher bands, the writer must fully develop all parts of the prompt with extended explanations and examples, and ensure the word count threshold is successfully met.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response shows some basic organisation, but there is no clear overall progression across the text. The writing consists of a single block paragraph instead of a properly structured essay layout with distinct introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions. Cohesive devices are inadequate and mechanical; for instance, the writer relies on simple transitions like 'This situation also affects' and 'This eventually results in', which leads to a repetitive structure. Furthermore, referencing is sometimes unclear, making it difficult for the reader to follow the logical flow of ideas from one point to the next. To improve, the writer needs to divide the response into logical paragraphs and use a wider variety of cohesive ties to connect ideas smoothly and clearly throughout the essay.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'jurisdiction', 'flora and fauna', and 'endangered plants'. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice, spelling, and word form that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, such as 'populatiuon' (spelling), 'accomodate' (spelling), and 'one horned rhinocerous' (collocation and spelling). Words like 'arena' are also used inappropriately in the context of urban real estate. Despite these limitations, the vocabulary is minimally sufficient to convey basic meaning. To achieve a higher band, the writer should expand their lexical repertoire with more precise terms and eliminate spelling and word-choice errors through careful proofreading.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer uses a limited range of sentence structures, relying heavily on simple sentences and basic complex clauses. Attempts at more complex structures are often faulty, such as in the opening sentence: 'In the recent years, environmental concerns has driven attention in the society which eventually causes loss...', where subject-verb agreement is incorrect ('concerns has' instead of 'concerns have'). There are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, including missing articles and preposition errors within grammatical patterns. These frequent errors can cause some difficulty for the reader, placing the grammar firmly in the lower-middle range. To progress, the writer must increase their control over complex sentence forms, ensure accurate subject-verb agreement, and pay closer attention to articles and prepositions.

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

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