Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-11

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 6.0)

It is very hearmful to use things made of plastic such as bags, bottles for the environment. It can have a dangerous affect on the environment like air and soil pollution. However, the government can implement strict rules against the use of plastic and individuals can solve this this problem to a large extent by following these rules.

There are two main effects of using plastic on the environment. The first affect is related to the soil pollution. When plastic waste is disposed in the earth, it does not easily decomposed. It stays for long time. This destroys the essential elements of soil and fertility rate. As a result, some sectors such as agriculture is mainly impacted. Moreover, it leads to air pollution. Sometimes people burn out the plastic things to dispose them which emit harmful gasses in the environment. This causes air pollution and make it difficult for people to breath.

However, this problem can be solved by taking some steps. Firstly, the government should spend money on those projects which are making alternative products to plastic. The authorities can implement strict rules against the use of plastic and arrange awareness programs where they can make people aware about the harmful impacts of using plastic. Individuals can help in solving this problem by following these rules. This is because most of time, people do not take these things seriously and try to disobey these rules. As a result, they can play an essential role in resolving this problem.

In conclusion, using plastic is really dangerous for the environment because it causes air and soil pollution. However, this issue can be solved by finding alternatives to lastic and follwing rules made by the government.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both parts of the task: you explain environmental damage through soil pollution and emissions from burning plastic, and suggest government action and individual compliance. The examples about plastic remaining in soil and harming agriculture, and burning it releasing harmful gases, are relevant. However, some points are asserted rather than fully explained. For instance, the effect on soil fertility is mentioned, but the consequences for ecosystems or food production are not developed. The solutions are also less fully explored: funding alternatives, rules and awareness campaigns are listed, while practical individual actions beyond obeying rules are not specified. Develop each main idea with a clearer explanation or example to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on environmental effects, a paragraph on solutions, and a conclusion. The progression from damage to possible responses is easy to follow, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “Moreover,” and “In conclusion” help guide the reader. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some flexibility in linking ideas. At times, however, connections are mechanical or unclear. “However” does not express a clear contrast at the start of the solutions paragraph, and “This is because” does not fully clarify why people disobey rules. Avoid repeating the same point about strict rules, and use more precise links to show cause and effect.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “soil pollution,” “fertility,” “alternative products,” and “harmful impacts,” so the main ideas are generally understandable. There are also attempts at more specific environmental language. However, the range is limited and several noticeable spelling, word-choice, and collocation errors reduce precision: “hearmful,” “affect” where “effect” is intended, “gasses,” “breath,” and “lastic” and “follwing” in the conclusion. Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “disposed in the earth” and “burn out the plastic things.” These errors do not prevent understanding, but careful proofreading and more natural environmental collocations would strengthen the vocabulary control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including conditional and causal structures such as “When plastic waste is disposed…” and “This is because…”. Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, and the paragraph structure helps make the argument clear. Some grammatical errors remain, particularly with verb forms, agreement, and articles. For example, “it does not easily decomposed” should be “it does not easily decompose,” and “some sectors … is” should be “some sectors … are.” In “which emit harmful gasses,” the verb should agree with the singular noun “plastic,” while “make it difficult” should be “makes it difficult.” Review these patterns and check sentence agreement to improve accuracy while retaining your range of structures.

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