Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-15

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)

Everyone have their own and totally different perspectives from each other. Some people say that the main environmental problem of our time is the loss of particular species of plants and animals, while others say that there are more important environmental problems. Both of the arguments are well-reasoned and serve their own purpose.

There are strong arguments on the first view. People who worry about loss of particular species of plants and animals point out that they plays a unique role in nature. For instance, if any of the specie extincts, it can break the whole food chain. Once a specie is gone, we cannot bring them back. Because of this, many people believe that we should save the endangered animals or plants.

However, looking at the issue through a wider lens, I believe that increasingly environmental challenges are much bigger threats. This is because most of the problems like global warming, plastic pollution, and deforestation are the main reasons of extinction. Animals and plants do not just disappear for no reason, they die because their homes are being destroyed and the climate is changing too fast for them to survive. This climate change is the main hidden for the extinction of species.

In the end, both of the point of views are valid, but they are deeply connected. Losing wildlife is a major issue and have a bad effect on environment. So we must focus on fixing major global problems like pollution and climate change, as this is the only real way to stop plants and animals from going extinct.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You discuss both views and give a clear preference for addressing wider environmental threats, especially pollution and climate change. The link you make between habitat destruction, climate change and species loss is relevant, and the food-chain example supports the first view. However, several points remain general: the first view is explained mainly through one consequence, while the wider-problems view would benefit from a specific example and fuller explanation of why these problems affect more than wildlife. The conclusion repeats your position rather than extending it. The response is 223 words, so it is 27 words below the 250-word minimum; the 38 words copied from the prompt are not counted. Develop each side with a concrete example and explanation.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph for each view, and a conclusion. Transitions such as “However” and “In the end” help signal the movement between sections, and the central argument—that broader environmental problems drive extinction—gives the essay an overall direction. At times, though, progression is limited because ideas are asserted and then repeated rather than developed. For example, the final paragraph restates that pollution and climate change should be addressed without adding a new reason. Some links are also unclear, as in “This climate change is the main hidden for the extinction of species.” Build clearer links between each claim and its explanation, and use references that make the relationship between ideas explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “food chain,” “endangered,” “deforestation,” “plastic pollution” and “climate change,” so the reader can follow the environmental discussion. There are also attempts at more descriptive phrasing, such as “through a wider lens.” However, the range is limited in places, and several inaccurate or unnatural choices reduce precision: “the main hidden” does not express the intended cause, while “the first view” and “major global problems” are repeated or broad. Some word forms are also incorrect, including “specie” and “extincts.” Aim for precise collocations and vary repeated terms—for example, distinguish habitat loss from climate change and explain their effects using accurate topic language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including conditional and causal structures: “if any of the specie extincts, it can break the whole food chain” and “as this is the only real way…”. These attempts help express relationships between ideas, but errors occur often enough to make some sentences awkward. Examples include subject–verb agreement in “Everyone have” and “they plays,” incorrect plural and pronoun forms in “a specie” and “we cannot bring them back,” and the sentence fragment beginning “Because of this” after a full stop. The sentence “Animals and plants do not just disappear for no reason, they die…” also joins two independent clauses with only a comma. Check agreement, singular/plural forms and sentence boundaries, while practising complex sentences that remain complete and controlled.

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