IELTS Task 2 model essay: Climate change is the responsibility of governments, not individuals

The question

Climate change is the responsibility of governments, not individuals. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Essay type: Opinion (agree or disagree). Write at least 250 words in 40 minutes.

The plan (5 minutes)

• Paragraph 1: Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today, and there is disagreement about who should take responsibility for tackling i.
• Paragraph 2: There are strong reasons for placing the main responsibility on governments.
• Paragraph 3: Nevertheless, individuals also have an important role to play.
• Paragraph 4: In my view, the most effective approach is for governments to lead by making sustainable choices easier and cheaper, while individuals take responsibi.
• Paragraph 5: In conclusion, while governments bear the greatest responsibility for addressing climate change, individuals cannot simply leave the problem to them.

Model essay (258 words)

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the world today, and there is disagreement about who should take responsibility for tackling it. Although governments have the greatest power to bring about change, I disagree that individuals have no responsibility.

There are strong reasons for placing the main responsibility on governments. Only governments can introduce laws that affect entire economies, such as carbon pricing, emissions standards for vehicles and investment in renewable energy. These measures can reduce emissions far more than any individual could. In addition, many sources of emissions, such as power stations and heavy industry, are beyond the control of ordinary people. Asking individuals to solve the problem alone would be both unfair and ineffective.

Nevertheless, individuals also have an important role to play. Everyday choices, such as how people travel, how much energy they use at home and what food they buy, add up to a significant share of total emissions. When millions of people choose public transport, install solar panels or waste less food, the combined effect is considerable. Moreover, individual behaviour influences government policy. Politicians respond to what voters care about, and consumer demand encourages businesses to offer greener products.

In my view, the most effective approach is for governments to lead by making sustainable choices easier and cheaper, while individuals take responsibility for the choices they can control. Neither can succeed without the other.

In conclusion, while governments bear the greatest responsibility for addressing climate change, individuals cannot simply leave the problem to them. Real progress depends on both working together.

Why it's a band 7+ answer

• Task Response: every part of the question is answered, with a clear position from the introduction to the conclusion.
• Coherence and Cohesion: 5 paragraphs, each with one main idea, linked naturally (however, moreover, in my view, in conclusion).
• Lexical Resource: precise topic vocabulary and collocations, without forced "big words".
• Grammatical Range and Accuracy: a mix of simple and complex sentences, with very few errors.

Your turn

Write your own answer to this question in 40 minutes, then paste it into the free IELTS writing checker for an estimated band on all four criteria. For more practice questions, see the 60 IELTS Task 2 questions.