Environmental protection should be the responsibility of politicians, not individuals as individuals can do too little. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Sample Response
Some people think that politicians should be responsible for protecting the environment as there is very littlenothing much that individuals can do about this problem. In my opinion, the responsibility to protect the environment should not fall upon politicians alone because ordinary citizens can make a significant contribution.
Firstly, politicians can urge the government to impose new laws prohibitingagainst actions that damage the environment. For instance, one of the major factors leading to environmental pollution is the overuse of plastic products, such as bottles and bagsproducts, like bottles and bags, and this can be stopped if the government issues an official ban preventing companies from using plastic packagingan official ban on all companies from using plastic packaging. In addition, the rate of deforestation can also be reduced if high-ranking bureaucrats agree to impose severe penaltiesstrict punishments, such as long-term imprisonment and heavy fines, on those who cut down trees illegally. However, beyondbesides introducing and enforcing new laws and regulations, I doubt that there is any further action that politicians can take to protect the environment.
On the other hand, I believe that ordinary people, through small, everyday actions, can also greatly contribute to protecting the environment. First, citizens in many countries, like the Netherlands, have now shifted totowards using bicycles and subway trains for their daily travel instead of cars, which has so far helped reduce a substantial amount of CO2 emissionsa tremendous amount of CO2 released into the airand improved air quality, and improved air quality. Second, the problem of ocean pollutionthe problem of polluted oceans has also been tackled in many places thanks to groups of young people who voluntarily spend their time cleaning up beaches, or even diving into the waterdiving into water to pick up trash. For example, many students in Nha Trang, a coastal city of Vietnam, spent nearly their whole summer holiday in 2018 keeping the beaches of their hometown clean by collecting all the trash from tourists, and even banned Chinese people from entering certain areas to prevent them from littering.
In conclusion, I hold the view that politicians alone cannot deal with all environmental problems, and therefore individuals should also make a contribution to protecting our environment.
Why this response received Band 8.0
The essay presents a clear position and develops both government action and individual contribution through a logical, well-supported structure. Its main weakness is that a few claims are too absolute, while the final example includes an unnecessary nationality-based detail that distracts from the environmental argument. Prioritise qualifying broad assertions and selecting neutral, directly relevant evidence so the otherwise persuasive discussion remains precise and appropriate.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The position is direct and fully sustained, with both political and individual responsibilities developed through relevant explanations and examples.
Qualify the claim that politicians have no role beyond legislation and replace the distracting final detail with evidence focused solely on individual action.
Coherence and Cohesion
The essay progresses logically from the stated position through two well-focused body paragraphs to a consistent conclusion.
Tighten a few long example sentences so that supporting details remain clearly subordinate to each paragraph’s central point.
Lexical Resource
A wide, precise vocabulary supports nuanced discussion of legislation, pollution, deforestation, transport, and community action.
Refine occasional awkward combinations and choose neutral wording when describing groups of people to maintain consistently appropriate expression.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A broad range of complex sentences is used with strong control, and the few errors do not impede communication.
Review coordination and comma placement in long sentences to keep every modifier and verb clearly attached to its intended subject.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
Environmental protection should be the responsibility of politicians, not individuals as individuals can do too little. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.