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)
While it is undeniable that plastic material is the best and the cheapest alternative for the packaging of various food products and for other items, I firmly believe that plastic should be banned, because it cause detrimental effect on the ecosystem.
Damaging the ocean and the life quality of the sea creature likely to be the predominant cause of health issues among people these days, as plastic bottles and plastic bags deteriorate the water quality, as some fish inhale plastic products, which results in various breathing problems among them. This can be seen in how the number of sea creatures are disappearing day by day, this would also lead to myriad environmental effects.
To solve this issue local authorities and individuals should come forward to mitigate this issue . For governments, awareness campaign should be arranged so that dwellers will come to know about this issue. Moreover, government should ban the plastic packaging, which ultimately reduce the plastic usage on large scale. For individual, dwellers should opt for shopping bags, which are made up from cloth. Take Japan, for example, in Japan plastic bags are totally banned, which can seen through the air quality of Japan, because of less plastic usage.
In conclusion, both government and people should use there knowledge, and lessen the use of plastic.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and suggesting solutions. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of development. The ideas regarding sea creatures and government action are somewhat superficial. For example, the claim that fish 'inhale' plastic is scientifically inaccurate and lacks supporting detail. The argument is present, but the lack of length prevents a more thorough exploration of the issues, leading to a lower score for task development.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Moreover' and 'In conclusion', though some transitions feel mechanical. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the lack of depth in the body paragraphs makes the overall flow feel somewhat disjointed. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the vague link between plastic usage and air quality in the Japan example. Improved paragraph structure and more varied linking words would enhance the coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks sophistication. There is some repetition of basic terms like 'plastic' and 'issue'. While the student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary, such as 'detrimental effect' and 'mitigate', there are inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'inhale' instead of 'ingest' and 'dwellers' to refer to citizens. The range is sufficient to communicate the main points, but it does not demonstrate the flexibility or precision required for a higher band score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors. Examples include 'it cause detrimental effect' (subject-verb agreement), 'the number of sea creatures are disappearing' (subject-verb agreement), and 'which can seen through' (missing auxiliary verb). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors indicates a lack of control over complex structures, which limits the score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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