Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-21

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)

Environmental problems have become a major concern around the world.

some people believe that the greatest environmental issue in the extinction of certain species of the plants and animals, while other argue that there are more serious problemss. In my opinion, although the loss of biodiversity is a significant concern, problems such as climate change and air pollution are equally important.

On the one hand< the extinction of plants and animals can have serious consequences for the environment.Every species play an important role in maintaining the nature of balance.Forexample, bees help pollinate plants, while many animals help control the populaton of other species. If these species disappear, foodchain maybe disturbed and ecosystem may become unstable. Furthuremore, future generation could lose valuable nature resources and the opportunity to enjoy wildlife.

On the other hand, there are other several environment problems that effect million of people. Climate change, for instance, causes rising , temperature, melting glaciers, and extreme weather condition. Smilarly, air and water pollution can lead to health problems ad make natural resources unsaf

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You present both views and give a clear opinion: biodiversity loss is significant, while climate change and pollution are equally important. Relevant support includes bees’ role in pollination and the effects of climate change. However, the discussion is only partial: the second view is cut off before pollution’s effects are explained, and the comparison between the problems is not developed. The response also contains 173 words, below the required 250, so several points remain brief and unsupported. To strengthen the response, complete the pollution example, explain why these problems may be more widespread or urgent than species loss, and add a developed conclusion that restates your position.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph beginning “On the one hand,” and a contrasting paragraph beginning “On the other hand.” These signposts help readers follow the two perspectives, and examples generally follow the claims they support. However, the final paragraph ends abruptly at “make natural resources unsaf,” leaving the argument and overall progression incomplete. Some links between ideas are also mechanical, particularly the repeated use of “for instance” and “Furthermore.” Develop each paragraph fully and finish with a conclusion; use clear references and varied transitions to show how each example supports your comparison.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “extinction,” “biodiversity,” “pollinate,” “glaciers,” and “ecosystem,” which helps communicate the subject. There are also attempts at more specific environmental language, such as “food chain” and “natural resources.” However, spelling and word-choice errors are noticeable and sometimes make the reader pause: “populaton,” “Furthuremore,” “Smilarly,” and “nature of balance” are examples. Some phrases are also imprecise, such as “other several environment problems.” Proofread carefully and learn accurate collocations, for example “maintain the balance of nature” and “several other environmental problems.” This would make your vocabulary more reliable and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a concession in “although the loss of biodiversity is a significant concern” and a conditional sentence beginning “If these species disappear.” These structures show some range, and the main ideas are usually understandable. However, errors in agreement, articles, sentence boundaries, and punctuation recur. For example, “Every species play” should be “Every species plays,” while “the greatest environmental issue in the extinction” needs a grammatical linking structure. Several sentences run together after full stops, and the opening “On the one hand<” has incorrect punctuation. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and separating complete sentences with appropriate punctuation.

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