Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-24

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 7.0)

These days, the trend of using plastic bags, and bottles is significantly impacting the ecosystem. Undoubtedly, surge in the usage of plastic materials is leading to numerous harmful impacts on the environment, such as polluting the water bodies. Therefore, governments as well as individuals should take necessary initiatives including reducing, reusing, and recycling the plastic waste, and by imposing fines on the offenders.

To begin with, one of the primary impacts on the environment is the contamination of the water bodies like rivers and oceans. This is ultimately leading to a myriad number of detrimental impacts on the aquatic animals and the human beings. To substantiate, a large number of sea animals are found dead on the sea shores every day due to contaminated water. Besides, it is considerable impacting the health of humans too, as they are prone to consuming polluted water. Consequently, it is increasing prevalence of various harmful diseases in humans, such as prostate cancer in males, and poly-cystic ovarian syndrome in females. Thus, this damages should be taken seriously by people and governments as well.

Turning to the solutions, individuals should implement the rule of reduce, reuse, and recycle of plastic waste. Sorting of recycle waste from the regular garbage should be taken seriously be each and every individual. This could definitely result in reducing the plastic waste drastically. Moreover, from the governments point of view, imposing fine on any kind of offense related to waste management should be strictly taken into consideration. Therefore, such necessary implementation of rules and regulations could immensely aid in ameliorating this grave issue.

In conclusion, while increase in the usage of plastic on the daily basis is highly impacting the ecosystem by killing various animals, and increasing the incidence of dangerous health issues in humans, it could only be tackled by following the essential steps. Also, every individual should consider it as their responsibility to save the earth and its atmosphere.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage (water pollution, harm to marine life and human health) and proposing solutions (recycling, government regulation). The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the impact on marine life is mentioned, the link between plastic and specific diseases like prostate cancer is asserted without sufficient logical explanation or evidence, which weakens the argument's credibility. To reach a higher band, ensure that all claims are supported by clear, logical reasoning rather than just stating them as facts. Overall, the task is fully addressed with a consistent focus.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the progression of ideas is generally smooth. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Besides', 'Consequently', and 'Turning to the solutions' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the slightly awkward phrasing 'This is ultimately leading to a myriad number of detrimental impacts'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the problem from the solutions, contributing to the overall coherence of the piece.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision, using terms like 'ecosystem', 'contamination', 'detrimental', and 'ameliorating'. There are some instances of slightly unnatural collocations or word choices, such as 'myriad number of' (redundant) and 'considerable impacting' (should be 'considerably'). Despite these occasional inaccuracies, the vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows for clear communication of ideas. The student makes a good attempt to use more sophisticated language, which is a positive feature of their writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over basic grammar, but there are several recurring errors that prevent a higher score. For example, 'surge in the usage' (missing article), 'it is considerable impacting' (adverb needed), 'imposing fine' (should be plural), and 'taken seriously be each and every' (preposition error). While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. To improve, the student should focus on article usage, subject-verb agreement, and ensuring that adverbs are used correctly to modify verbs.

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