Hustlers IELTS | Cambridge 14 | Band 7–9 Blueprint + Model Answer
This is a classic IELTS trap question.
Candidates either:
- write only about climate change and forget to properly discuss species loss, or
- write two weak paragraphs with no real position, no development, and no direction.
If you want Band 7+, you must do the opposite: control the argument.
Today’s task (Cambridge 14 Academic) asks you to discuss two views and give your opinion:
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.
The Hustlers IELTS 4-Step Planning Method (Non-Negotiable)
Step 1: Analyse the question
Simplify it carefully:
What is the most important environmental problem today?
Is it species loss… or something bigger?
Two views:
- View 1: Species loss is the main problem.
- View 2: There are more important problems (for example, global warming).
Step 2: Decide your position (be decisive)
A high band answer isn’t “both are important” and then nothing.
A strong position here is:
- Species loss is serious,
- But climate change is more important, and
- They are linked: climate change causes habitat loss, which causes extinction.
That’s not fence-sitting. That’s hierarchy + connection.
Step 3: Generate ideas (problems, not solutions)
View 1 (species loss):
- moral obligation to protect wildlife
- extinction is permanent
- affects humans via food chains and medicine
View 2 (more important problems):
- global warming can escalate
- triggers extreme weather, floods, drought
- will cause species loss anyway
Step 4: Develop into a tight structure
To score high, use a clean structure:
- Introduction: set up the debate + your position
- Body 1: species loss (moral argument) + example
- Body 2: species loss (human impact) + example
- Body 3: global warming is bigger + example + link between issues
- Conclusion: restate position clearly
Band 7–9 Model Essay (Cambridge 14)
The loss of natural habitats, in part due to intensive agriculture and industrial-scale mining in some parts of the world, as well as urbanisation, has put the survival of many species of plants and animals under threat. While this is certainly a major concern, is this the most pressing environmental problem that we should deal with?
I certainly feel that humanity has a moral obligation to safeguard the survival of different species of fauna and flora. The loss of any species is permanent and means that future generations will not be able to appreciate the wonders of a diverse natural world. For example, the tragic extinction of the dodo is something which we still lament even today.
Moreover, it can affect us detrimentally too. Many herbal remedies are derived from plants, and so the destruction of rainforests could easily have a negative effect on the production of medicinal drugs. In addition, we are part of a natural food chain, so the loss of animals, such as fish, means we will have less food in the future.
Ultimately though, there is a far wider problem that needs to be addressed: global warming. As a result of emissions of greenhouse gases, such as CO2 and methane, global temperatures are rising and we risk seeing runaway heating. This will lead to a number of problems, including flooding, extreme weather and drought, but also the extinction of species. Indeed, polar bears are already struggling to survive because of the loss of polar ice caps due to rising temperatures.
In other words, working to safeguard the survival of the natural world without tackling global warming would be entirely ineffective, so it’s not really a case of which one is more important: all environmental issues are ultimately interconnected, and so we need to take a holistic approach to the issue.
(304 words)
Why This Essay Is High Band (What Examiners Reward)
1) It genuinely discusses both views
Species loss is not treated like a “small point.” It gets two fully developed paragraphs with different angles:
- morality
- human consequences
That’s sophisticated development.
2) The opinion is clear—and strategically stronger
The writer doesn’t just say “global warming is worse.”
They say:
- global warming is the bigger threat because it triggers other problems, including extinction.
That “linking” idea is exactly what makes this feel Band 8/9.
3) Vocabulary is precise, natural, and topic-appropriate
This essay doesn’t chase “fancy words.” It uses the vocabulary that real academic writing uses.
High-Impact Vocabulary & Collocations (Steal These)
- loss of natural habitats
- intensive agriculture
- industrial-scale mining
- under threat
- a major concern
- the most pressing environmental problem
- a moral obligation to safeguard
- fauna and flora
- the loss of any species is permanent
- future generations
- a diverse natural world
- affect us detrimentally
- herbal remedies
- derived from plants
- destruction of rainforests
- medicinal drugs
- natural food chain
- a far wider problem
- global warming
- emissions of greenhouse gases
- runaway heating
- extreme weather and drought
- interconnected
- a holistic approach
Use these in your own essays and your Lexical Resource score rises naturally—without sounding memorised.
Hustlers IELTS Final Word
This is how you write a serious Discuss Both Views essay:
- You cover both sides properly
- You choose a position
- You prove it with logic and examples
- You connect ideas, not just list them