Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-07

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 5.5)

Nowadays, usage of plastic and plastic products has been increased a lot. It affects our surroundings in a negative manner. This essay will discuss about there effects to the society and solution for the problem.

To start with, plastic can cause myriads of the side effects to the environment. First and foremost impact on individual's health becuase any plastic product contains hazardous chemicals which is not suitable for the human body. Daily usage can create cancer like disease according to recent study by haward university. Moreover, plastic cannot be desolve by any method , therefore it stays on the soil and affects quailty of the land in enviorment. For example, food quality affects because of impure soil of farms in all over the world.

Thera are plenty of solutions available for this major issue. Firstly, the governmnet should imposed use of better quality material to replace plastic and it products.They should encourage using more paper bags and ecofriendly supplies in day to day life. In addition, there should be a fine to misuse of harmful plastic in local community. Apart from that, people should use the social media platform for spread awarness to youngsters and local public. Ultimately, it gives benefit to environement.

In conclusion, combine work from the government authority and local public can create major postive impact for betterment of the society. Everybody should give their contributution to make the surroundings better and plastic free .

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the prompt: you identify possible harm to health and soil, then suggest government action and public awareness. However, the environmental damage is only partly explained; the discussion focuses mainly on human health and soil quality, with little about effects on wildlife, waterways, or plastic waste. The solutions are relevant, but proposals such as replacing plastic with “better quality material” and imposing fines need clearer explanation or examples. Your position is apparent in the conclusion, though the response would be stronger with more developed reasoning and specific support. The response is also 12 words below the required minimum, so it does not meet the task’s length requirement; use the available space to explain and support your main points.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for damage and solutions, and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “To start with,” “Moreover,” and “In addition” help readers follow the main points, and the central progression from problem to response is easy to recognise. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent overall organisation and shows some movement towards more flexible cohesion. However, several transitions feel formulaic, and links between claims are not always fully explained—for example, the move from hazardous chemicals to cancer is asserted rather than connected through reasoning. The conclusion also repeats the general call for action rather than drawing together the specific proposals. Develop clearer links between each claim and its example.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a range of topic-related vocabulary, including “hazardous chemicals,” “eco-friendly supplies,” “local community,” and “environment,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “major issue” and “positive impact.” However, the range is limited by repeated general terms such as “plastic,” “environment,” and “better,” while several word choices or collocations are inaccurate: “myriads of the side effects,” “imposed use,” and “spread awareness” do not sound natural in context. Spelling errors such as “quailty,” “enviorment,” and “contributution” are noticeable and reduce precision. Aim for accurate, natural combinations and more specific environmental vocabulary, such as “plastic pollution,” “contaminate soil,” and “restrict single-use plastics.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a reason clause with “because” and a result clause with “therefore.” The paragraphing and basic sentence boundaries generally make the message understandable. However, errors occur frequently and sometimes make the reader pause. For example, “usage … has been increased” uses an incorrect verb form, “This essay will discuss about” has an unnecessary preposition, and “the government should imposed” has the wrong verb form after “should.” There are also agreement and article problems in “combine work … can create” and “a fine to misuse.” Some sentences rely on basic patterns, so practise accurate modal constructions, subject–verb agreement, and articles while varying sentence structures. Proofreading punctuation and spacing would also improve control.

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