Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 14 · 2026-11-04

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)

Nowadays, some people argue. There are many important environmental issues. while others believe the main environmental challenges of our period are the loss of plant and animal species. Discuss both views and give my relevant opinion.

Firstly, some people believe the main environmental issues of our time are caused by the loss of plants and animals due to this cultivation. Air pollution arises day by day due to the deforestation of plants, the loss of particular animals, and the growth of unessential and harmful plants. For instance, due to deforestation, there is a lack of fresh oxygen, which causes many diseases in individuals.

Secondly, others say there are more crucial environmental challenges that are detrimental to human health. Problems include the use of personal transport instead of public transport and a significant increase in population in recent decades. For example, the use of cars produces carbon monoxide as well as carbon dioxide, which are very dangerous for individuals health. Furthermore, due to overpopulation, climate change occurs because of global warming, which reduces the life span of the Earth. It also causes many diseases in humans.

From my perspective, both discussions have a significant impact on human lives and also on the ecosystem. Consiquently, we have to avoid these things.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response4.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You address both views and give a personal position, particularly in “both discussions have a significant impact,” so the response is relevant to the question. However, the discussion is only partial: the first view is linked mainly to deforestation and air pollution, rather than explaining why the loss of particular species is itself a major environmental problem. The second view names transport and population growth, but the connection between overpopulation and climate change is asserted rather than explained. Your conclusion also says these issues should be avoided without clarifying which you consider more important. The response is 41 words below the required minimum, which limits the space available to develop and support the ideas. Add specific explanations or examples and state your comparative opinion clearly.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs beginning “Firstly” and “Secondly,” and a concluding paragraph. This makes the two viewpoints easy to identify. However, progression within the paragraphs is sometimes unclear. For example, the first body paragraph moves from species loss to deforestation and then to “unessential and harmful plants,” without showing how these points relate. The link between population growth and climate change is also abrupt. Some linking phrases, such as “For instance” and “Furthermore,” help signal examples and additions, but the overall organisation relies heavily on basic sequencing words. Develop each paragraph around one clear claim, then explain and illustrate it, and use clearer references to connect causes and consequences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “deforestation,” “carbon monoxide,” “overpopulation,” and “ecosystem,” which helps communicate the environmental subject. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “crucial environmental challenges.” However, several choices are imprecise or unnatural: “due to this cultivation” does not clearly express the cause, “unessential and harmful plants” is unclear, and “reduces the life span of the Earth” is not an accurate way to describe climate change. “Individuals” is also repeated where “people” or “human health” would sound more natural. Aim for precise environmental terms and check collocations; this will make your ideas clearer without requiring more complicated vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and complex sentences, including cause-and-effect structures with “because” and “which,” and most of your meaning remains understandable. However, sentence boundaries and punctuation are not consistently controlled. The opening, “Nowadays, some people argue. There are many important environmental issues. while others believe…,” contains sentence fragments and an incorrectly capitalised continuation. There are also errors in possessive forms, as in “individuals health,” and the final paragraph begins with “Consiquently,” which should be punctuated as part of a complete sentence. Practise joining related ideas with accurate conjunctions and punctuation, and check possessives and sentence completeness. More controlled complex sentences would help you explain the relationships between environmental causes and effects.

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