IELTS Writing Task 2 topics: Environment, with practice questions and ideas

The environment is a theme that Task 2 questions are commonly reported to touch: who should deal with pollution, how far individuals matter compared with governments, and how societies handle waste, energy and wildlife. IELTS publishes no list of Task 2 topics, and IELTS.org’s Academic Writing format page describes the task only as a point of view, argument or problem to respond to. The themes below are candidate-reported from practice material, so prepare by theme and by essay shape, and do not bet on one predicted question.

The angles this theme comes up with

• Pollution and who should act. A question may name air, water or plastic pollution and ask who should take action. You weigh rules and enforcement against voluntary change, and whether the main polluters are the ones who should bear the effort.
• Individuals versus governments. Questions ask whether personal habits or national policy matter more. You weigh the small daily choices of millions of people against the reach of laws and national policy.
• Climate and energy. A statement may say countries should move quickly to renewable energy. You weigh the long-term gain and reduced emissions against reliable supply, jobs in older industries and the pace of change.
• Waste and recycling. Questions ask whether recycling should be compulsory, or whether producers should make less packaging. You weigh convenience and habit against the effect of rules, and the problem of waste sent abroad.
• Wildlife and nature. A question may ask whether land and public resources should protect endangered species when people have urgent needs. You weigh biodiversity and what nature gives us against development and local livelihoods.
• Consumption and transport. Questions ask how people can cut their impact through what they buy and how they travel. You weigh personal responsibility against convenience, and what can realistically be asked of ordinary households.

Practice questions

These ten questions are invented for practice, in our own words. They are not copied from any list or past paper, and IELTS does not publish Task 2 questions. Each is labelled with the shape it takes in practice material, which is a planning convenience, not an IELTS category.

1. Protecting the environment is the responsibility of governments, not individuals. To what extent do you agree or disagree? (agree or disagree)
2. Some people think recycling should be compulsory for every household. Others believe it should remain a personal choice. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. (discuss both views)
3. Many countries are replacing fossil fuels with wind and solar power. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this change? (advantages and disadvantages)
4. Plastic waste is damaging rivers and seas in many parts of the world. What problems does this cause, and what measures could reduce it? (problem and solution)
5. Many people are aware of environmental problems but do not change how they live. Why is this, and what could encourage them to act? (two-part question)
6. Wild animals and natural habitats should be protected even when this slows economic development. Do you agree or disagree? (agree or disagree)
7. Some people believe the best way to cut pollution is to make laws that restrict what companies can do. Others think education is more effective. Discuss both views and give your own opinion. (discuss both views)
8. More shops now sell products with very little packaging. Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages? (advantages and disadvantages)
9. Rubbish is piling up in cities as people buy and throw away more goods. What are the causes of this, and how can it be dealt with? (problem and solution)
10. Air pollution is a serious problem in many large cities. Why is this, and what can be done about it? (two-part question)

Ideas for and against

Two or three reasons on each side, each with a consequence or example you could develop in a paragraph. These are starting points, not facts to quote.

Pollution and who should act

• For strong rules: a factory that releases waste into a river affects everyone downstream, and only a binding rule stops a company from gaining an advantage by ignoring it. Clear limits also make competitors follow the same standard.
• For voluntary action: laws are slow and hard to police in remote areas, whereas a community that cares about its river can act at once. Pressure from customers can change company behaviour faster than a new regulation.

Individuals versus governments

• For governments: no single household can build a rail line or switch an energy grid. Policy changes the options available to everyone at the same time, so the effect is far larger than scattered choices.
• For individuals: laws reflect what voters accept, so habits come first. A family that stops wasting food shows neighbours what is possible, and that example spreads.

Climate and energy

• For rapid change: delay passes the problem to the next generation, and new industries such as installing solar panels create work. Cleaner air in cities also brings health benefits quickly.
• For caution: if supply is unreliable in cold or windless weather, hospitals and factories suffer. Workers in coal or oil towns may lose their livelihoods, so a sudden shift can create hardship without retraining.

Waste and recycling

• For compulsory recycling: a clear rule turns a good intention into a habit, and sorted material is easier to reuse. When everyone takes part, the sorting becomes part of ordinary life.
• Against: strict rules can feel like punishment and may lead people to hide waste. Poor sorting contaminates whole batches, so a rule without clear instructions can waste effort.

Wildlife and nature

• For protection: when a species disappears the loss is permanent, and healthy ecosystems provide clean water and pollination that people depend on. Tourism around reserves can also support local families.
• Against strict protection: villagers who lose farmland to a reserve may have no other source of food. A rule that ignores local needs often fails because the people on the spot stop supporting it.

Consumption and transport

• For personal change: choosing a train over a short flight or repairing a coat instead of replacing it reduces demand directly. Demand shapes what shops stock, so many small choices add up.
• For realism: not everyone lives near public transport, and low-impact products are not always easy to find. Asking too much of individuals can breed guilt without results.

Vocabulary for this theme

A worked plan

Question 4: Plastic waste is damaging rivers and seas in many parts of the world. What problems does this cause, and what measures could reduce it?

• Position: the main problems are harm to wildlife and to human food chains, and the strongest measures combine rules on producers with better collection.
• Introduction: paraphrase the topic; say that you will explain two problems and two measures.
• Body paragraph one (problems): reason, animals swallow or become trapped in plastic, which kills them and reduces fish stocks. Example, a fishing community that finds fewer fish and more debris in its nets. Consequence, lost food and livelihoods for coastal families, and plastic particles entering the food chain.
• Body paragraph two (measures): reason, the simplest waste to deal with is the waste never made. Example, a ban on single-use bags in shops pushes shoppers to reuse their own. Consequence, less litter reaches rivers. Add a second measure briefly: reliable collection in places where rubbish is dumped because there is no alternative.
• Conclusion: restate the two problems and the combined measures in different words, with no new argument.

Check that each measure answers a problem you named, and that every part of the question is answered.

How the app marks it

IELTS Mentor AI marks a Task 2 essay on all four criteria, with a band for each and an Examiner’s Summary, followed by what worked and how to improve for each criterion. Write an essay on one of the questions above, then read the Task response comments first: they show whether your reasons about pollution and responsibility were developed or only listed.

Where this fits

The general answer, what are common IELTS Writing Task 2 topics, lists all the themes and explains why IELTS publishes none. Each shape has a guide: agree or disagree, discuss both views, problem and solution, advantages and disadvantages and two-part questions. For finished examples, see a problem and solution essay at Band 6, 7 and 8. When you have written your own answer, the essay checker gives you feedback on it.