Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-07-30
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 5.5)
Nowadays, in the entire world, with an increased use of plastic through various products of plastic such as bottles, bags and packaging, it is affecting our environment in a negative manner. To minimize this issue, our government and civilians should take some collaborative action towards saving environment. In this essay, I will elaborate my point of view with some examples.
In 21st century, most of the Bags, bottles and packaging are made of plastic and that is one of the main reasons behind the polluted environment we have right now. To support this view, after using all of these plastic products, it is going to be thrown away into the garbage, which is most likely not able to be recycled.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 120 words. Consequently, the task is only partially addressed. While the introduction mentions the negative impact of plastic and the need for collaborative action, the body paragraph is extremely underdeveloped. It touches upon the environmental damage caused by plastic but fails to provide specific examples or explore the solutions required by the prompt (what governments and individuals can do). The response is far too brief to develop a coherent argument or provide the necessary depth for a higher band score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into an introduction and one short body paragraph, which is insufficient for a task of this nature. While there is a basic attempt at logical progression, the lack of development makes the overall structure feel incomplete. Cohesive devices are used in a very mechanical and limited way, such as 'To support this view' and 'In this essay'. The transition between ideas is abrupt due to the brevity of the text, and the paragraphing is not used effectively to organise the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive. Phrases like 'negative manner', 'various products of plastic', and 'polluted environment' are functional but lack the range and precision expected at higher levels. There is little attempt to use less common lexical items or idiomatic language. The word choice is generally accurate enough to convey the intended meaning, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility or sophistication required for a higher band score. Expanding the range of vocabulary related to environmental issues is essential.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. There are noticeable grammatical errors, such as 'In 21st century' (missing article) and 'most of the Bags' (unnecessary capitalization). The sentence 'it is going to be thrown away into the garbage, which is most likely not able to be recycled' is somewhat clunky and lacks conciseness. While the errors do not completely impede communication, the limited range of structures and the frequency of minor errors restrict the score.
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