Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-06

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic packaging are bad for the environment.

What damage does plastic do to the environment?

What can be done by governments and individuals to solve this problem?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

 

Student answer (Band 5.0)

Plastic-made things have a negative impact on the environment. It can lead to soil pollution and a big cause of animal deaths. By making people aware about the bad consequences of plastic use as well as apply restrictions, can be useful to tackle with this serious issue.

Plastic bags, bottles and packaging are non-degradable. In other words, plastic cannot be demolished or disposed. As a result, it pollutes to the soil because it stays in the ground for a long time. Another big damage that is faced by the innocent animals, who do not know that is plastic can be a eatable thing or not? And after eating it, sometimes they died. For example, as per a television news in the city of Punjab, every year number of animals died due to food poisoning that happens owing to plastic.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You identify two relevant environmental harms: plastic remains in the soil and animals may die after eating it. The Punjab news example also attempts to support the second point. However, the response addresses only the damage question and does not explain what governments or individuals could do, despite this being a central part of the task. The harms are also briefly stated rather than developed with clear explanation or specific supporting detail. The response is 139 words, so it does not meet the required minimum of 250 words. To improve, cover both questions explicitly, explain each proposed solution and who should carry it out, and develop your examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a basic structure: an introduction is followed by a paragraph describing environmental damage, and linking phrases such as “As a result” and “For example” show some awareness of how ideas connect. The main points are generally understandable. However, the response ends without a conclusion, and the ideas do not progress to the required discussion of solutions. Some connections are awkward or unclear, particularly the shift into “Another big damage” and the question about whether animals know plastic is edible. Use separate, purposeful paragraphs for the harms and for government and individual actions, then add a brief conclusion. Clearer referencing and more precise links between cause and effect would make the organisation easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “soil pollution,” “non-degradable,” “restrictions,” and “food poisoning,” so the reader can understand the general subject. There is also some attempt to express cause and consequence. However, the range is limited, and several choices or combinations sound unnatural: “Plastic-made things,” “demolished or disposed,” “pollutes to the soil,” and “a eatable thing.” These reduce precision, even though the overall meaning is usually recoverable. Build a wider set of accurate environmental terms and collocations, such as “plastic waste,” “contaminate the soil,” “break down,” and “ingest plastic.” Check that the chosen word fits its grammatical form and the meaning you intend.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and more complex cause-and-effect structures, for example, “As a result, it pollutes to the soil because it stays in the ground for a long time.” This shows some ability to connect clauses, and the main message can generally be followed. However, the range is limited and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to process. In the opening, “It can lead” has an unclear singular reference, while “By making people aware … as well as apply restrictions, can be useful” lacks a clear grammatical subject and parallel structure. The animal sentence is also incomplete or awkwardly formed. Practise complete sentence patterns, subject–verb agreement, articles, and parallel verb forms, then proofread each sentence for clarity.

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