Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-23

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)

Over the last decade, the consumption of plastic products has increased sharply. No doubt, this environment damaging have destructive effects for both humans and other species that should be addressed by a joint effort by both government and individuals.

First of all, over-utilization of plastic wreak havoc on our planet. Since these artificial products take hundred of years to decompose, they pile up and destroy the natural beauty spots such as beaches and forests all around the world. Furthermore, plastic waste can pose serious threat to marine and land animals. These creatures often take plastic as a food by mistake which may cause injuries or even death. For instance, a recent study at Harvard university found that every year many birds, animals and marine mammals died due to consumption of plastic by assuming that it is food.

In addressing such issues some measure should be taken. There is a belief that providing good education on the side-effects of plastic on biodiversity with tips on preserving the environment can be significantly effective. Moreover, government should enact some stringent laws against using plastic items. Apart from it, they should organize campaigns to aware general public that how these plastic products are vanishing our environment day by day.

In conclusion, I would like to restate that manufacturing plastic products has created numerous issues for all the species that should be mitigated by raising awareness among public or imposing stricter laws

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and suggesting solutions. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of the arguments. While the ideas are relevant, they are somewhat underdeveloped; for instance, the solutions could be expanded with more specific examples of government policies or individual actions. The position is clear throughout, but the lack of sufficient length prevents a more comprehensive exploration of the topic, which is required for a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the central ideas are generally easy to follow, though the brevity of the text makes the overall structure feel somewhat thin.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at more sophisticated language like 'over-utilization', 'wreak havoc', and 'stringent laws'. However, there are some awkward collocations and word choice errors, such as 'aware general public' (should be 'make the general public aware') and 'vanishing our environment' (should be 'destroying' or 'degrading'). The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but more precise and varied vocabulary would be needed to reach a higher band.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'this environment damaging have destructive effects' (subject-verb agreement and noun/adjective confusion) and 'take plastic as a food' (should be 'mistake plastic for food'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors throughout. While the meaning is rarely obscured, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. More attention to subject-verb agreement and article usage is recommended.

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