Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

In this modern era, human have started using plastic in each and every possible way. If a person is buying any new product or even going for a grocery shopping, it is 99% surety that it will contain some plastic packaging or it would be made out of plastic. Due to this , it is polluting the environment in a drastic way, which I will discuss further below and will also suggest some possible solutions to overcome this issue.

To start with, firstly, plastic is one of the major reason behind the pollution of our oceans, beautiful landscapes and some many amazing places. The problem behind this is plastic is a non-biodegradable material which does not decomposes unlike paper or any other organic material. Due to this, it stays in our ecosystem forever and pollutes the mother nature. People have started using plastic so much that it is hard to dump them and because of this it keeps on collecting at one place and pollutes the land on which it is dumped. Moreover, plastic has also reached at one of the deepest places in Pacific Ocean called Mariana Trench. There have been many cases where researchers have found sea creatures consuming plastic by mistake and eventually dying because of it. Furthermore, there have been cases of plastic straw getting stuck in the nostrils of tortoise and impacting there lives.

To overcome this issue, there are many things which can be done by government of the country to overcome this issue. One of the suggestion to overcome this issue would be, government should start campaigns, where they should spread the awareness regarding the disadvantages of using plastic and motivate them reduce the use of plastic where ever possible. Additionally, government should also start collection centers where people can bring all the plastic waste they have collected rather than throwing them away at different places, so that it can be recycled and reuse and they should also motivate the residents to try to reuse the plastic wherever possible.

To conclude, plastic pollutes our environment in in various ways like water pollution, and land pollution and along with that is it also dangerous of the living organisms like in that water or land. Government should implement some policies to reduce the use of plastic and motivate people to recycle and reuse them.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of the Mariana Trench and the impact on marine life. However, the development is somewhat uneven. While the environmental damage is well-illustrated, the solutions section is slightly repetitive and could be more specific regarding individual actions, as the focus remains heavily on government intervention. The position is clear throughout, but the depth of analysis could be improved to reach a higher band by exploring the 'why' behind the effectiveness of the proposed solutions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To start with', 'Moreover', and 'To conclude', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are mechanical or slightly repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'To overcome this issue' to start sentences. Referencing is generally clear, but there are instances where the flow is slightly hindered by minor grammatical slips in linking phrases. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow from the introduction through to the conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'non-biodegradable', 'ecosystem', and 'marine life'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'it does not decomposes' (should be 'decompose') and 'some many amazing places' (should be 'many'). The range is sufficient to discuss the topic, but it lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands. The repetition of basic phrases like 'overcome this issue' limits the lexical variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('human have started', 'it does not decomposes'), missing articles ('in Pacific Ocean'), and incorrect pronoun usage ('impacting there lives'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they are persistent enough to prevent a higher score. A greater focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would significantly improve the quality of the writing.

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