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)

Now a days, use of plastic is increasing with upgrowing population. Plastic bags and Plastic bottles are a major source of environmental damage and polution because they do not break down easilly in natural conditions and takes a lot of time to degrade which in return releases harmful substances. In mordern world, Plastic bags and bottles became a daily convenience. However their widespread use is causing a serious trouble to our planet.

Plastic bags and bottles are non-biodegradable, takes hundreads of years to break down and convert into smaller toxic particals known as micro toxics. They release harmful chemicals in the environment which cause a serious damage to land, water and air. On land and soil they ruins the quality of soil and blocks the soil appropriate for irrigation. in addition they also cause serious damage to marine life as fishes, sea turtles and other marine animals in search of food intakes the plastic debris which eventually cause death to them due to harmful chemical poisoning. For eample I have seen many cases where any turtle hatch comes across the plastic debris thrown by the peoples on the beach they intake the debris mistaken with food which later cause their lives.

Solving the plastic waste crisis requires the change of plastic with other products. Governments should ban the manufacture, sale and use of plastic bags and bottles. For instance they should encourage people with the use of paper bags or cloth bag in response to use of plastic bags. People should actively support these changes made by the government and avoid use of the plastic bags and bottles

in conclusion, In order to be free from the environmental damage one should make the change of habit and should actively accept the changes made by the government in order to save the planet and nature.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

You address both parts of the question: you explain environmental damage, including soil degradation and harm to marine animals, and propose action by governments and individuals. The example of turtles mistaking plastic debris for food helps make the impact concrete. Your main proposals—banning plastic products and encouraging paper or cloth bags—are relevant, but the solutions are less developed than the discussion of damage. Explain how bans would be enforced and mention practical individual steps, such as reusing containers or sorting waste for recycling. The claim that plastic releases harmful substances is also broad; a specific explanation or example would make it more convincing. Overall, the response covers the task, but some ideas need clearer development and support.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on environmental harm, a paragraph on solutions, and a conclusion. This makes the main progression easy to follow. You also use linking expressions such as “However,” “in addition,” and “For instance.” At times, though, connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “which in return releases harmful substances” does not clearly identify what releases them, and the long sentence about turtles combines several stages of the example without clear punctuation. The solutions paragraph would benefit from separating government measures from individual responsibilities and explaining how each follows from the problem. Clearer referencing and more controlled sentence links would make the organisation smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “non-biodegradable,” “marine life,” “plastic debris,” and “environmental damage,” and these terms help communicate the subject. However, spelling errors and inaccurate word choices are noticeable, as in “polution,” “easilly,” “hundreads,” and “particals.” Some phrases are also unnatural or imprecise: “upgrowing population,” “a serious trouble,” and “blocks the soil appropriate for irrigation” make the meaning less clear. There is some attempt to use less common vocabulary, but accuracy and natural collocation are not consistent. Check spelling carefully and choose direct, familiar phrasing when unsure; for example, describe plastic as “contaminating soil” rather than using an unclear expression.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including explanations with “because,” “which,” and “as,” and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, errors in agreement, articles, and sentence construction recur. For example, “Plastic bags and bottles … takes” should use a plural verb, while “they ruins” also has incorrect agreement. In “fishes … intakes,” the subject and verb do not match, and the sentence beginning “For eample I have seen” needs clearer punctuation and a more controlled structure. Capitalisation is inconsistent, including “in addition” after a full stop and “In conclusion” mid-sentence. Practise checking subject–verb agreement and breaking long sentences into shorter, accurately punctuated units.

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