Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-28

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)

Plastic bags, bottles and packaging are become major concern in this technological era. They create water and air pollution as well as various harmful impacts on the wildlife. These issues need to treated by the government and people. In this essay, we will discuss the reasons behind these problems along with solutions.

Firstly, one of the major reason is effect of plastic waste which is harmful for the environment as it does not break down easily. As a result, it stays in the water bodies such as rivers, oceans for numerous years. Many animals, especially marine life, consume plastic for their food which cause injuries or death. For example, sea turtles or fishes always consume plastic bags for their food.

To solve the issue, the government should spread awareness regarding detrimental effects of using plastic among society, therefore, individuals can use paper bags for their day to day activities. Additionally, they can make some strict regulation against the uses of plastic bags. For instance, if people would carry non-biodegradable material, they will get fined of $100. Apart from this, schools can organize seminars, lectures or introduce subject for children where they explain the pros and cons of plastic uses.

Overall, I would like to say that it is very difficult to replace plastic completely, however, a small steps to solve this problem could also play an important role. Thus, every individual should do his best to make our sorrounding clean so that we can protect our environment for the future generation.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage caused by plastic and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant, such as the impact on marine life and the suggestion of educational seminars. However, the development is somewhat limited; the explanation of the damage is brief, and the solutions could be more thoroughly explored to reach a higher band. For instance, the suggestion of a $100 fine is a good specific example, but the overall argument lacks depth in its analysis of why these measures would be effective. The position is clear throughout, but the essay would benefit from more detailed supporting evidence.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'As a result', 'Additionally', and 'Overall' are used to link sentences and ideas effectively. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the problem from the solutions. To improve, the student could vary the cohesive devices further and ensure that the relationship between sentences is more fluid.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task and allows the student to communicate their ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'non-biodegradable', 'detrimental', and 'marine life'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'are become major concern' (should be 'have become a major concern') and 'make our sorrounding clean' (should be 'surroundings'). The range is sufficient for the task, but the student relies on relatively simple phrasing in several places. Increasing the use of more precise academic collocations would help elevate the score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'These issues need to treated' (should be 'need to be treated'), 'one of the major reason' (should be 'reasons'), and 'if people would carry... they will get fined' (a conditional error). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors in article usage and subject-verb agreement. The errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band score. Focusing on consistent verb forms and article usage would improve accuracy.

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