Environmental problems are becoming a global issue, and therefore, some people suggest that environmental problems should be solved on a global scale. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Same questionCompare 4 different answers (Band 7–8)

Sample Response

1

Environmental problems vary greatlygreatly vary in terms of their magnitudemagnitudes, and some of these are local, while others are global—for example, the greenhouse effect or global warmingglobal - the greenhouse effect or global warming for example. For the best outcome, these sorts of problems should be addressed at the most appropriate levels, sometimes even at multiple levels.

2

To begin with, some environmental problems are generally caused by a group of people in a particular region and these issues are exacerbatedissues get accelerated by the rapid expansion of industrialisation in this region. These sorts of problems often include noise pollution, air pollution, deforestation, toxicintoxicating waste disposal etc. and these are generally national in nature. It is better to address these types of environmental problems at the national level, and educating peopleat the national level and educating people is a viable solution in this scenario. International aid can sometimes helpInternational aid sometimes can help a poor or developing country to address environmental problems but its governmentthe government of the country should take stepsinitiatives to solve such national problems.

3

Having said that, some environmental problems, for instance, pollution of shared rivers, coastlines, or seas concernscommon river, coastline or sea pollution concern more than one country and those sorts of problems should be addressed at a bilateral level. Similarly, if an environmental problem concerns a large region, for instance, a continent, that should be discussed and tackledfought by the countries on that continentcountries that are located on this continent. Some common examples of such environmental problems are desertification, soil erosion, aridityaridness and floods.

4

Finally, some environmental problems cross national boundariespervade across national boundaries and call for multinational or global collaboration. For example, radioactive industrial wastewastage in oceans, ozone layer degradation, and global warming are global issues, and these types of problems should be addressed by every nationevery single nation in the world. For greater success and effectiveness, I believe that commitment from countriesthe commitment of countries, especially rich nations, is quite important.

5

To conclude, environmental problems are real and they threaten the very existence of animals, plants and humans on this planet. We need to address them immediately on regional, national and global scales based on their magnitudes and nature.

Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 7.5

The response’s strongest feature is its clear, nuanced position that environmental action should match the geographical scale of each problem, supported by a logical progression from national to global cases. Its main limitation is occasional imprecise or awkward wording, while some examples remain broadly asserted rather than closely explained. The highest-priority improvement is to sharpen collocations and develop the causal relevance of selected examples more precisely.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TR

Task Response

8.0
Scoring rule

The response fully addresses the proposition with a clear qualified position and relevant, well-developed discussion of action at different geographical levels.

Next step

Explain the causal significance of a few examples in greater depth instead of relying mainly on lists of environmental problems.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

8.0
Scoring rule

Ideas progress logically through national, bilateral, regional, and global responses, with effective paragraphing and clear cohesive links.

Next step

Reduce minor repetition of phrases such as environmental problems and these types by using tighter referencing where the meaning remains unmistakable.

LR

Lexical Resource

7.0
Scoring rule

A wide range of topic-specific vocabulary conveys precise distinctions, though several collocations such as intoxicating waste disposal and common river are unnatural.

Next step

Prioritise idiomatic collocations, for example toxic-waste disposal and shared-river pollution, while retaining the existing lexical range.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

7.5
Scoring rule

The response uses a broad range of complex structures with strong control, despite a few awkward constructions and minor agreement or punctuation lapses.

Next step

Check agreement and clause structure in long example sentences so that plural subjects and their referents remain consistently controlled.

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IELTS Writing Task 2

Environmental problems are becoming a global issue, and therefore, some people suggest that environmental problems should be solved on a global scale. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

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