Band 8.5 model answer: problem and solution

A band 8.5 model answer to a real IELTS Writing Task 2 question, with the paragraph plan that fits it. Aim for 250 to 290 words in 40 minutes.

The question

In several countries, night-time noise and light produced by cities are increasingly disrupting the sleep patterns and natural behaviour of urban wildlife. What are the main causes of this problem, and what measures could be taken to address it?

Your 4-paragraph plan

Introduction (40-50 words). Paraphrase the issue and preview that you will cover causes and solutions.
Body paragraph 1 (80-100 words). The main cause or problem, with a specific example of its effect.
Body paragraph 2 (80-100 words). One or two realistic solutions, saying who should act (government, schools, individuals).
Conclusion (40-50 words). Summarise the problem and your strongest solution.

The trap in this question type

Vague solutions like 'raise awareness' score poorly. Name who acts and what exactly they do, then say what changes as a result.

Band 8.5 model answer

304 words, the length a strong candidate produces in the 40 minutes Task 2 allows (the minimum is 250). Written for this exact question in the official format. Read it once for ideas, then write your own before comparing.

Urban wildlife, from foxes in London to fireflies in Bangkok's suburban parks, is increasingly disoriented by cities that never truly go dark or quiet, and this disruption stems from a small number of identifiable causes with equally identifiable solutions. The primary cause is simply the design priorities of urban infrastructure, which favour human convenience over ecological consequence. Streetlights are left burning all night because switching them off intermittently seems administratively troublesome, and floodlit advertising boards in commercial districts like Tokyo's Shinjuku run continuously because businesses equate constant illumination with visibility and profit. Similarly, night-time construction, delivery trucks, and traffic on ring roads produce sustained noise because scheduling work outside daytime hours reduces congestion for commuters, with little regard for the owls, bats, and insects whose migration, hunting, and mating cues depend on darkness and silence. A second cause is the sheer density of building and road expansion into what were once green buffer zones, meaning wildlife habitats now sit directly adjacent to, rather than buffered from, artificial light and sound sources. Addressing this requires both regulatory and technological measures. Councils could mandate motion-sensor or dimmable LED streetlighting on residential roads, which cuts unnecessary illumination after midnight while still ensuring pedestrian safety. Noise ordinances restricting heavy machinery and freight movement near parks and riverbanks during nocturnal hours would similarly protect species like nightingales that rely on quiet for mating calls. Urban planners should also preserve genuine dark corridors, strips of unlit parkland connecting fragmented habitats, rather than assuming a single central park suffices. Finally, public education campaigns encouraging residents to switch off ornamental garden lighting show that behavioural change, unlike infrastructure retrofitting, costs nothing but awareness. Ultimately, this is a problem of unexamined habit rather than necessity, and modest planning adjustments, not radical redesign, would allow cities and their wildlife to coexist far more comfortably.

Why this answer earns band 8.5

The phrase "a problem of unexamined habit rather than necessity" anchors a single consistent position across the whole essay, satisfying Task Response.
Devoting one paragraph each to infrastructure design and habitat encroachment before separately addressing solutions keeps the two-part question evenly balanced, which is a Coherence and Cohesion strength.
Species-specific vocabulary such as "nightingales that rely on quiet for mating calls" replaces vague generalisation with precise Lexical Resource.
The contrastive structure "rather than buffered from" inside a single sentence shows controlled complex grammar under Grammatical Range and Accuracy.
Linking the conclusion back to the body with "modest planning adjustments, not radical redesign" demonstrates a cohesive device tying solutions to the essay's overall stance.

The plan, reusable on any question of this type

Introduction: paraphrase the problem and state that both causes and solutions are limited and identifiable (~39 words)
Body 1: infrastructure design choices and habitat encroachment as the two causes (~132 words)
Body 2: regulatory, technological and educational measures as solutions (~104 words)
Conclusion: restate the problem as one of habit and reaffirm that modest change suffices (~29 words)

Phrases worth learning

stems from a small number of identifiable causes with equally identifiable solutions	to frame a cause-solution essay structure in the introduction on any topic
with little regard for	to introduce a group whose interests are being overlooked in any argument
rather than assuming a single approach suffices	to argue against an oversimplified solution in any discussion essay
costs nothing but awareness	to argue that a behavioural fix is cheap or easy compared to a technical one
a problem of unexamined habit rather than necessity	to reframe any issue as arising from routine rather than genuine need

Questions about this answer

What band is this model answer?

It is written to band 8.5, and the notes under it quote the answer's own words to show why.

How long should my answer to this question be?

Write at least 250 words and aim for 250 to 290 in the 40 minutes Task 2 allows. This model answer is 304 words.

What is the most common mistake on a problem and solution question?