In this post: the last two logic chains (government leadership and price measures), a table of examples that convince without statistics, and the core collocations, including energy vocabulary borrowed from Task 1.
Environment and Energy · 3 parts
- 1. Questions, species and energy
- 2. Responsibility, examples and collocations (you are here)
- 3. My paragraphs and practice
✦ In this post
2. Argument bank: eight logic chains for environment essays (continued)
C. Who is responsible, and which method?
Argument 7 · For government leadership: individual action is limited; only changes to the system work at scale
Point → Protecting the environment should mainly be the government’s responsibility, because only the system can change the largest sources of emissions.
Explanation → One person using one fewer straw makes very little difference; the big emitters are power generation, industry and transport, and these can only be changed through laws, taxes and public infrastructure. Governments can also make green choices cheaper, so that individuals follow naturally.
Example → I noted in my study notes that when public transport is cheap and convenient, office workers naturally switch to buses or the metro. This shows that providing options works better than asking individuals for self-discipline.
Individual efforts matter, but only governments can change the largest sources of emissions, such as power generation and transport.
Argument 8 · Against price measures: raising fuel prices or air fares may be cancelled out by people switching to other options
Point → Relying on higher prices alone to reduce pollution has limited effect, and it is unfair to people on low incomes.
Explanation → If flying becomes more expensive, some travellers will drive or use other transport instead, which still consumes energy. Meanwhile, higher fuel prices hit low-income families who must commute the hardest, while the wealthy are barely affected.
Example → In my notes I wrote that “if flights are restricted, travellers switch to driving or rail, which also uses energy and causes congestion”. You can add one more sentence: price policies only work when they come with alternatives, such as better public transport.
Raising fuel prices may simply shift people to other polluting forms of transport, while placing the heaviest burden on low-income commuters.
Where to find examples for environment essays
The most common problem in environment essays is that the examples are too vague (“many animals have become extinct”) or rely on an invented percentage. I later put together a table of examples that are “convincing without statistics”. They are all widely known facts, so you only need to describe the mechanism, with no numbers:
| Argument direction | A concrete example you can use | The mechanism to spell out |
|---|---|---|
| Species and food | Bee pollination and fruit and vegetable production | Fewer species → crops cannot bear fruit → food supply is affected |
| Warming and habitats | Shrinking Arctic sea ice and polar bears struggling to find food | Rising temperatures → habitats disappear → species are threatened |
| Development and wildlife | Taiwan’s leopard cat, an endangered wild cat in the island’s foothills, often faces habitat fragmentation and roadkill because of road building | Roads cut habitats apart → animals are hit by cars as they move |
| Government provides alternatives | In cities with complete metro and bus networks, fewer commuters drive | Convenient, cheap options → behaviour changes naturally |
| Energy stability | News reports of tight power supplies during summer demand peaks | Demand is concentrated → stable power sources and storage are needed |
| Plastic pollution | Marine animals swallowing plastic fragments | Plastic hardly breaks down → it enters the ocean and the food chain |
What these examples have in common is that readers understand them at once, and the example itself contains cause and effect. When you write, spell out the mechanism in the right-hand column, and the example stops being “just an example” and starts proving your argument.
3. Core vocabulary and collocations (including Task 1 energy vocabulary)
Environment vocabulary falls into two groups: words for Task 2 arguments, and words borrowed from Task 1 that work well for energy essays. My original sentences are included below.
Task 2: environmental arguments
| Collocation | My original sentence (source essay) | More natural / upgraded version |
|---|---|---|
| pose a threat to | the extinction of species poses a threat to human life (species loss) | Natural; use it as it is |
| be responsible for pollination | Bees, which are responsible for pollination, are good examples of this matter (species loss) | Natural; you could add a sentence afterwards saying “so food supplies are affected” |
| hinder sustainable development | hindering sustained development (species loss) | sustainable development (fixed phrase) |
| rising sea levels / extreme weather | rising sea levels, extreme climate, and the greenhouse effect (species loss) | extreme weather; the greenhouse effect is a cause, not a consequence, so do not list it alongside the consequences |
| daily necessities | pollution … threatens a wide range of daily necessities including food, land, water, and air (species loss) | Land and air are not really “necessities”; try threatens the food, water and air we depend on |
| release greenhouse gases | greenhouse gas likes carbon dioxide will release into the atmosphere (global food) | greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide are released |
| habitat loss | (I did not use it in this essay; added here) | urban expansion leads to habitat loss |
| fossil fuels / renewable energy | (I did not use it in this essay; added here) | phase out fossil fuels, invest in renewable energy |
Energy vocabulary borrowed from Task 1
| Vocabulary | My original Task 1 sentence (source essay) | How to use it in Task 2 |
|---|---|---|
| harvest / pre-processing | after being harvested, the harvested plants and trees are put into a specific machine for pre-processing stage (ethanol process) | Describing how biofuels are produced |
| release carbon dioxide | Three mode of transportation all lead to the release of carbon dioxide in the air (ethanol process) | Vehicles release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere |
| by fuel source | (wording from the question) electricity production by fuel source (electricity pie charts) | Electricity generated from fossil fuel sources |
| increase its dominance | in 2000, coal increased its dominance (electricity pie charts) | Coal still dominates electricity generation in many countries |
| witness a dramatic increase | the production from nuclear power witnessed a dramatic increase to 126 units (electricity pie charts) | Investment in solar power has increased dramatically |
Continue reading · Part 3 of 3
IELTS Notes in English · Topic Guides (post 4 of 10)
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Task 1 Structure · Task 2 Structure · Topic Guides · Writing Language · Band Score Samples · Practice Methods · Speaking & Study Tips
✦ Target Your Future
Some days you practise for hours and the score still does not move. I hope these notes remind you that the setbacks are part of the road: every recording you replayed, every essay you rewrote and every sentence you finally dared to say is progress you have already made.
I wrote this down so the next person can take fewer detours. You do not have to follow my method exactly. Find a rhythm that works for you, rest when you need to, and come back for the next small step.
I hope what you take away is more than a number on a score report: a little more confidence in yourself, and the courage to step a bit closer to the world.
— Ting
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