Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Nowadays, usage of plastic material increases that cause several hazardous effects on the environment. In this essay, I will highlight some of these harmful effects and also mention some solutions to overcome with this issue.

In this contemporary society, many people prefer to use plastic made items in their daily life such as plastic bottles, plastic bags or packages. It has negative impact not only on human life but also on a marine life. For instance: mostly people throw plastic shoppers in the sea or in an ocean that could be engulfed by a fish then it will definitely lost its life.

Moreover, several factories also release harmful fumes that are the by product during the manufacturing of plastic material that leads to air pollution. In addition, many people burn plastic material along with wood in order to get heat in winter season that would be the major cause of serious health issues. For instance, due to fumes and air pollution many people suffers from severe respiratory diseases such as Asthma, Chronic Pulmonary Obstruction.

In my opinion, Government and individual both plays a very crucial role in the management of this problem. For instance, plastic bags should be banned by the Government and replaced by bags. Besides, penalty should be imposed by legal authorities on all the vendors and shopkeepers who are using plastic packaging. Additionally, media should promote usage of paper and polythene bags instead of plastic. Likewise, Russian media that promote recycling of plastic material.

In a nutshell, every individual should avoid to use plastic made material in order to keep our environment and ecosystem safe and happy place to life.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

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 impact on marine life and the suggestion of government bans. However, the development is somewhat uneven. For instance, the suggestion to replace plastic with 'bags' is vague, and the mention of Russian media lacks a clear connection to the broader argument. While the position is clear, some points, particularly the solutions, could be more thoroughly extended with specific examples or logical reasoning to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Moreover,' 'In addition,' and 'In a nutshell,' which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Likewise, Russian media that promote recycling.' Additionally, there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the abrupt transition between the problem and the solution sections. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be improved to ensure a smoother progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'hazardous effects,' 'engulfed,' and 'respiratory diseases.' However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'plastic shoppers' (likely meaning plastic bags) and 'overcome with this issue' (should be 'overcome this issue'). The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but the lack of more sophisticated or precise vocabulary limits the score to a 6.0.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'usage of plastic material increases that cause' (should be 'is increasing, which causes') and 'many people suffers' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are issues with article usage and prepositional phrases. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from reaching a higher band. A greater focus on proofreading for basic agreement and tense consistency would be beneficial.

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