Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-29

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)

In recent times, the usage of plastic in our day to day life is a growing debate. It makes severe damage to environment. I think people and governments should come together to tackle this problem.

First and foremost, plastic is very harmful for the nature, as it is a non-biodegradable material which will be always present in the environment once made. It pollutes the air, soil and water and with the time, it releases the hazardous gases which can cause dangerous and life threatening diseases. For instance, after using people throw the plastic in garbage or water and then it consumed by the animals, which led to their death.

In addition to it, we could take several steps to counter this problem. With the help of government, we should encourage individuals to use paper bags instead of plastic bags. We can boost the production and utilization of glass bottles to tackle the rising problem of using plastic bottles. Moreover, there are many restaurants that are promoting to use paper cups for coffees rather than using plastic ones. Such as, Tim hortons is giving an extra discount when you bring your cups to reuse for your next coffee. This is a small steps but they are trying their best to contribute to save nature.

In my opinion, we should spread awareness among the people about the harm effects of using plastic and should give them their alternatives like using copper and glass products. For example, when I got to know that when we do microwave our food in plastic, it releases harmful chemicals in our food, I instantly changed my utensils to glass.

In conclusion, I must say that everyone should stop using plastic and replace it with another eco-friendly materials. Furthermore, government should also make some strict laws and take strict actions to reduce the usage of plastic.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying the environmental damage caused by plastic and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of non-biodegradable materials and the suggestion of using paper or glass alternatives. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat basic. For instance, the discussion on government action is quite general. To reach a higher band, the student should provide more detailed explanations or specific, well-reasoned arguments rather than listing simple suggestions. The position is clear throughout, and the response maintains a consistent focus on the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, such as the environmental impact in the first body paragraph and solutions in the subsequent ones. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'First and foremost', 'In addition to it', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as 'Such as, Tim hortons', which is grammatically awkward. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear and easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task. The student uses some topic-specific terms like 'non-biodegradable', 'hazardous gases', and 'eco-friendly'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and minor errors, such as 'harm effects' instead of 'harmful effects' and 'do microwave our food' instead of 'microwave our food'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. The student attempts to use less common vocabulary, but the control is not always consistent.

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 'It makes severe damage to environment' (should be 'causes'), 'with the time' (should be 'over time'), and 'it consumed by the animals' (should be 'it is consumed'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors in article usage and verb tense consistency. These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. A greater variety of error-free complex structures would be needed for a higher band.

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