Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-10-24

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 the modern era, the issue of which type of environmental damage has a significant role in nowaday, while some people believe that the loss of particular species of plants and animals is the main problem, others contend that there are more environmental problems should carying on. In this essay, i will examine both point of view before presenting my own reasoned opinion.

On one hand, there are compelling argument to support the notion that loss of some type of plants and animals, primary justification of this view point is our ecosystem balance, by loosing living being, not matter the category or the type, we directly make instability in our environment. Furthermore, it is often asserted that animals and plants are essential in development, in fact, technology and scientific exploration depends always on the animals experiments, hence, as a results of loss particular species the human progress will end.

On the other hand, a contrasting prespective holds that environment has more crucial problems, particularly the air pollution. The most significant factor underpinning this argument is the substantial role of the air in our life, we can not live without fresh air, unfortenetly, air pollution increased sharply in the recent years. In addition, proponents of this view highlight the fact that many studies reported that air pollution is the problem of the era, for instance, researchers from the university of Milano, ressorted that arround 60% of people die annually by the effect of air pollution.

From my prespective, i inclined to agree with the viewpoinf of loosing particular species of plants and animals is the main problem currently, although other issue provide a valid arguments.

In short, many people assert that there are lot of problem to deal with rather than focusing on loos of animals a

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both views and state your preference for protecting species, so the response is relevant to the question. The discussion of biodiversity includes a reason—ecosystem balance—and the air-pollution paragraph gives a contrasting concern and an example. However, the ideas are only partly developed: explain more clearly how species loss disrupts ecosystems and why this is more serious than air pollution. The claim that scientific progress will end because of species loss is too absolute and is not supported, while the statistic about deaths needs a clear source or cautious framing. Your final sentence is cut off, so the conclusion does not fully summarise the discussion or reinforce your position. The response meets the required length; nine words copied from the task prompt were excluded from the count.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two paragraphs presenting opposing views, and a statement of your opinion. Phrases such as “On one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “From my perspective” help signal the direction of the argument. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because several ideas are joined into long, loosely connected sentences. For example, the first body paragraph moves from ecosystem balance to animal experiments and then to human progress without explaining the links. Some transitions are mechanical, and references such as “this viewpoint” could be made more precise. The final line is incomplete, which leaves the overall progression and ending unresolved. Use clearer topic sentences and develop one main point at a time.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt vocabulary suited to an environmental essay, including “ecosystem balance,” “air pollution,” “compelling argument,” and “underpinning this argument.” This gives you some range beyond basic wording. However, inaccurate word choice, collocation, word forms, and spelling are noticeable and sometimes make the meaning harder to follow. Examples include “environmental damage has a significant role,” “more environmental problems should carying on,” and “resorted that around 60%.” Several phrases are also imprecise, such as “loss of some type of plants and animals” and “the problem of the era.” Aim for natural, precise combinations and check spelling carefully. Replacing broad or awkward expressions with established environmental terms will make your argument clearer and more convincing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “while,” “although,” and “because,” and the reader can generally identify your main points. However, many sentences contain errors in clause structure, agreement, articles, and verb forms, so complex constructions are often difficult to control. For example, “there are more environmental problems should carying on” lacks a correctly formed clause, while “there are compelling argument” has an agreement error. In “technology and scientific exploration depends,” the subject and verb do not agree, and “I inclined to agree” is missing an auxiliary verb. Sentence boundaries and punctuation also need attention, particularly where several clauses are joined by commas. Practise building accurate shorter sentences before combining them into longer structures.

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