Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-06

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)

Currently, much discussion centres on plastic use and its negative impact on the environment. The excessive usage of plastic bottles and bags causes serious damage to the ecosystem and human health. There are plenty of reasons behind this notion, and it can be solved with the support of the government and individuals.

The first and foremost reason is the adverse effect on the ecosystem. Plastic is not a recyclable material. A ton of plastic has been thrown away by humans in landfills, which ruin the environment by releasing unnecessary and harmful particles into the air when burned. It is very dangerous for livestock to breathe in pollution. Additionally, it not only impacts the breathing of humans and animals but also creates a chance of dangerous diseases like asthma, cancer, and heart conditions. Moreover, plastic thrown in the sea and water bodies creates water pollution, which harms sea creatures because it is characteristic of not being biodegradable. To add to this, they often feel like food or get stuck in them, resulting in an injury or death.

To tackle this problem, there are plenty of effective and efficient measures that can be taken by the government and citizens. The most prominent one is to ban the use of plastic and other non-recyclable materials. Although they are easily accessible and a cheaper option, we should promote using paper bags and Tetra packs. To ease this, higher authorities should spread awareness through advertisements, rallies, events, and TV commercials, including inspiring and attractive incentives for those small businesses that promote this. Furthermore, offering customers an additional discount or tax-free shopping will inspire people to reuse the bags and bottles while shopping and travelling.

To conclude, this phenomenon of damaging the environment by using plastic can be easily mitigated by joint ventures of citizens, authorities, and communities by playing their role honestly and with dedication to ban plastic, which will help us save nature for future generations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and proposing solutions for both governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant, such as the impact on marine life and the suggestion of government-led incentives. However, the development is somewhat uneven. For example, the claim that 'plastic is not a recyclable material' is factually inaccurate and weakens the argument. While the solutions are practical, they could be expanded with more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. The position is clear throughout, and the structure follows a logical path, meeting the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is generally smooth. Cohesive devices such as 'The first and foremost reason,' 'Additionally,' 'Moreover,' and 'To tackle this problem' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the problem from the solution, which helps the reader follow the argument without difficulty. Overall, the flow is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'biodegradable,' 'mitigated,' and 'non-recyclable.' However, there are some instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'ruin the environment' (which is a bit vague) and 'creates a chance of dangerous diseases.' The phrase 'joint ventures' is also slightly misused in this context. While the range is sufficient to discuss the topic, more sophisticated collocations and precise terminology would be required to achieve a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over basic grammar, and the meaning is consistently clear. However, there are several minor errors, such as 'A ton of plastic has been thrown away' (tense inconsistency) and 'it is characteristic of not being biodegradable' (awkward phrasing). Additionally, some sentences are slightly clunky, such as 'they often feel like food or get stuck in them,' where the pronoun reference is unclear. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching the higher bands where error-free complex structures are more frequent.

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