Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-09

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 6.5)

In the 21st centuary, the widespread use of plastic such as, bags , bottles and packaging is causing serious environmental issues. In the forthcoming paragraphs i will answer the questions. This essay will discuss the damage caused by plastic waste and suggest measures that governments and individuals can take to address this issue.

Plastic pollution has a devasting impact on the environment. To begin with, Plastic takes hunderads of years to decompose, leading to the accumulation of waste in landfills and natural habits. In addition, large amount of plastics ends up in river, forest and oceans, where it threatens wildlife. Many animals mistakenly consuming plastic as a food and it cause various serios health problems to them or ends up with death. Moreover, when plastic breakdowns in small particals and it known as microplastics, it contaminates water sources and enter in the food chain, which affect to the human beings and animals.

There are several measures that can be implemented not only by individuals but also by government authorities to address this issue. Government should introduce more stricter rules and regulations on the use of plastic bags and the production. They can impose extra taxes on plastic bags, can run some policies wich can help people to use ecofriendly items rather than made from plastic. While, humans can help in this by reducing use of plastic bottles , containers or cups, they can intiate to start use some glass items.Furthermore, inhabitants can start to reuse or recycle plastic waste as much as they can. Small changes in daily habits can collectively make a significant difference.

In conclusion, plastic waste causes many environmental related damages and perticularly to wildlife and ecosystem. Nevertheless, through effective government policies and wise use of plastic and recycling it and responsible individual behaviour can be reduced.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both parts of the task and maintain a clear focus on environmental harm and possible solutions. The effects are relevant and varied: you explain how plastic accumulates, threatens wildlife, and breaks down into microplastics that enter the food chain. Your proposed actions also cover both governments and individuals, including taxes, restrictions, reusable alternatives, and recycling. This is a strong response to the task, with some development beyond a simple list. However, several points remain general: for example, the effects of microplastics on people are asserted rather than explained, and the government measures are not illustrated with a specific example or their likely impact. Developing these points more fully would make the response more complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on environmental damage, a paragraph on solutions, and a conclusion. Ideas progress logically within the main paragraphs, and signposting such as “To begin with,” “In addition,” and “Moreover” helps readers follow the sequence. The distinction between government and individual action is also clear. Cohesion is generally effective, although some linking is mechanical or awkward, particularly “While, humans can help in this” and the list of actions joined by repeated “can.” The conclusion brings the main points together, but its final sentence is difficult to follow because several ideas are compressed into one construction. More precise transitions and clearer referencing would make the flow smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “accumulation,” “wildlife,” “microplastics,” “contaminates,” and “food chain,” which helps communicate the environmental issues clearly. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “government authorities” and “responsible individual behaviour.” However, spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural combinations reduce the accuracy of the vocabulary: examples include “devasting,” “hunderads,” “natural habits,” “large amount of plastics,” and “environmental related damages.” Some expressions are also vague, such as “run some policies” and “wise use of plastic.” Aim to check spelling carefully and choose more precise collocations, especially when describing habitats, regulation, and environmental consequences.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including clauses beginning with “where” and “which,” and the main ideas remain understandable. Some sentence patterns are controlled, such as “Small changes in daily habits can collectively make a significant difference.” However, errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence construction occur in several places. For instance, “Many animals mistakenly consuming plastic” needs a finite verb, while “it cause” and “which affect” do not agree with their subjects. The final sentence also lacks a clear grammatical structure. Punctuation and capitalisation are inconsistent, including unnecessary capitals after full stops and commas placed awkwardly. Review subject–verb agreement and build complex sentences around a clear main clause.

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