Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-13

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)

Bags, bottles and packaging made from plastic have severe adverse effects on the ecosystem. They are particularly more damaging to the aquatic life and decomposing plastic leads to air pollution which is a growing concern in recent times. Governments should promote recycling of such items and take proper measures towards production of items made from biodegradable sources.

There are many detrimental effects of using plastic on the planet. One of the major concern is their impact on aquatic life. Most organisms living in the water are one way or the other influenced by the use of plastic. It has known to cause various skin and respiratory diseases in these animals. Because plastic can get lodged in their airway, they have difficulty in breathing. In addition, when we try to disintegrate plastic items they release substances which are very harmful for the air and the health of human beings. Consequently, it has known to cause severly damage to people and the planet. For example, when people started burning plastic in Pakistan, it led to increase in the air quality index which has reached a dangerously high level. This has led to increased health problems for the people and the ecosystem of the country.

Governments can tackle this issue in number of different ways. Bags, bottles, straws should be made from natural and biodegerable sources so that the utilization of plastics is limited. When there are better alternatives, people are more liking to go for the saver option. Moreover, governments can built recycling centers, so that people can disposble the plastic more responsibly. For instance, In many contries such recycling institutes are established where people can recycle their plastic waste and get some money back. This is a great way to promote safer disposable of the waste which is essential for conservation and protection of the ecosystem and the life inhabiting it.

In conclusion, the use of plastics negatively impact the air quality and taken a toll on marine and freshwater species. For the protection of the whole planet, governments need to promote the act of recycling and the use biodegradable items.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the question and maintain a clear overall view that plastic harms ecosystems and that governments should encourage recycling and biodegradable alternatives. The discussion of aquatic animals, air pollution from burning plastic, and recycling centres is relevant, and the Pakistan example gives one point some support. However, the damage is explained mainly through broad claims: the effects on aquatic life are not illustrated with a specific mechanism or example beyond breathing difficulties, and the human-health consequences are asserted rather than developed. The solutions focus almost entirely on government action; the question also asks what individuals can do, but their role is not explained. Develop the environmental impacts more precisely and add practical individual actions, such as reusing bags or sorting household waste, to make the response more complete and supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on environmental damage, a paragraph on solutions, and a conclusion. This gives the reader a coherent route through the answer, and linking expressions such as “In addition,” “Consequently,” and “Moreover” help connect points. The paragraph focus is generally appropriate, although the solutions paragraph moves from alternatives to recycling centres and then to a broad claim about conservation without fully explaining the links. Some references are also unclear, as in “they release substances,” where the reader must infer that “they” means plastic items. To strengthen progression, make each point’s relationship explicit and use clearer references, while avoiding a sequence of connectors that can feel formulaic.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “aquatic life,” “biodegradable sources,” “recycling centers,” and “air quality index.” These choices make the subject clear, and some less common expressions show an effort to be precise. However, several word-choice, collocation, and spelling problems reduce naturalness: “more liking to go for the saver option” is awkward, “disintegrate plastic” does not accurately describe the process intended, and “severly,” “biodegerable,” and “contries” are misspelled. “Disposable” is also used where “dispose” or “disposal” is needed. Aim for accurate, natural combinations and check spelling and word forms; this will make your vocabulary more precise without requiring unnecessarily complex words.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mix of simple and complex sentences, including cause-and-effect structures such as “Because plastic can get lodged in their airway, they have difficulty in breathing” and a conditional sentence beginning “When there are better alternatives.” Meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. Examples include “One of the major concern is” (number agreement), “It has known to cause” (missing auxiliary), “governments can built” (verb form), and “the use of plastics negatively impact” (subject–verb agreement). Articles and sentence construction also need attention in phrases such as “in number of different ways.” Review agreement, auxiliary verbs, and infinitive or modal verb patterns, then proofread each sentence. More accurate control of these forms would make your complex sentences clearer.

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