Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-05

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)

Usage of plastic is becoming major issue for the world. Plastic bags, bottles and packaging are harmful of the nature. I will discuss reasons behind this matter as well as some solutions to resolve this.

To begin with, one of the major problem is water and air pollution. To explain it, people through lot of plastic bottles and bags in water which makes major blockage in the flow. Additionally, chemicals through the big factories makes a lot of smoke which causes the pollution in air. This pollutions are harmful for the soil as it blocks the air and chemicals are also harmful as it diminishes the soil quality. For example, marine life consumes the plastic as a food, which leads to death. Therefore, plastic is dangerous for environment.

There are many ways to solve this matter by governments and individuals. Governments should make strict rules and laws against plastic using also they should banned in some cases. Individuals should avoid using plastic bags and bottles and they should arrange campaign for public awareness. For instance, the more people are using jute bags rather than plastic. As a result, there are great chances of people using plastic in their life.

To conclusion, plastic items are dangerous for the earth which makes wildlife and lot of pollution. This can be solve by replacing plastic items and by following strict laws and regulations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and suggesting solutions. However, the essay falls short of the 250-word minimum requirement, which limits the depth of development. While the ideas are relevant, they are somewhat underdeveloped; for instance, the explanation of how factories cause air pollution is brief and lacks specific detail. The conclusion is also quite abrupt. To reach a higher band, you need to expand your arguments with more detailed examples and ensure the response meets the length requirement to allow for a fully developed discussion.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'To begin with,' 'Additionally,' and 'For instance.' However, the flow is sometimes hindered by mechanical or repetitive transitions. Some sentences lack smooth connections, making the progression of ideas feel slightly disjointed. For example, the transition between the discussion of water pollution and the mention of factory smoke is abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, unified focus would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic. There are several instances of awkward phrasing or incorrect word choice, such as 'harmful of the nature' (should be 'harmful to nature') and 'people through lot of plastic' (should be 'people throw a lot of plastic'). The range of vocabulary is limited, and there is little evidence of less common or more precise lexical items. To improve, focus on learning collocations and using more specific terminology related to environmental issues, such as 'non-biodegradable,' 'ecosystem,' or 'mitigation strategies.'

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('chemicals... makes'), incorrect verb forms ('they should banned'), and missing articles ('in water' instead of 'in the water'). Punctuation is generally functional, but the sentence construction is often repetitive. To achieve a higher score, you should work on mastering basic sentence patterns and reducing the frequency of errors in tense and word form, while also attempting more varied complex structures.

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