Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-03

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 6.0)

Environment changing towards negative impact because of plastic bags, plastic bottles and also because of many retailers using plastics for packaging.

Plastic makes many problems to our environment and ecosystems in both land and water, plastics used by more number of people leads to plastic pollution that makes the nature suffer also leads to increase in health problems for humans, for example, eating food which is packed in plastic or drinking bottled water contains micro plastics that enters the human body and causes many health issues. It does not stop there after having food they are throwing the plastics in ocean which leads to water pollution which is big problem for marine animals. for example, In Australia more than 500 marine species died including Dolphins and Sharks, due to plastics either it struck with their body or they swallowed it.

To solve this problem, Government should make strict rules to reduce usage of plastics, They can give awareness to people by conducting campaigns, and they can also make a alternative things for packaging like paper bags or cloth bags. For example Government of United Kingdom, conducted many campaigns for people to make them understand how plastics are hazardous for society, and the government also made a rule that, if anyone using plastic bags then they will immediately charged fine of 30 pounds, after this rule many people afraid to pay fine, so they stopped using plastics, By this plan, places in United Kingdom started changing slowly to became plastic free Country.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the environmental damage caused by plastic and potential solutions from governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of microplastics and marine life, and the example of the UK's plastic bag policy. However, the development is somewhat limited. The discussion on individual actions is largely absent, as the focus remains heavily on government intervention. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples of what individuals can do, such as using reusable containers or supporting sustainable brands, to ensure a more balanced and comprehensive response to all parts of the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into three paragraphs, which is a logical structure. There is a clear progression of ideas from the problem to the solution. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'for example' and 'they'. Some sentences are run-on, such as the second paragraph, which makes the flow feel slightly disjointed. Improving the use of linking words (e.g., 'consequently', 'furthermore', 'in addition to this') would help the ideas connect more fluidly and improve the overall coherence of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your points clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'ecosystems', 'micro plastics', and 'hazardous'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'makes many problems to our environment' instead of 'causes significant environmental damage'. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and a wider variety of academic vocabulary to express your ideas with greater sophistication and nuance.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement, article usage, and punctuation (e.g., 'makes many problems', 'an alternative things', 'if anyone using plastic bags then they will immediately charged'). These errors are noticeable and occasionally distract the reader. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like missing auxiliary verbs and incorrect verb forms. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy will help you achieve a higher band.

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