Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-07

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)

Plastic waste is one of the major contributors to environmental pollution because they takes hundreds of years to breakdown, fill up landfills, and contaminate water, thereby harming marine life. There are a few major steps government can take to resolve this issue.

To begin with, plastic waste is non-degradable, which means it is not possible to break it down in smaller pieces by living organisms, sunlight, air, or water over the time. This cause serious threat to the ecological system. For examples, plastic bottles, bags, and other items release micro plastic, which pollutes water and soil. Consequently, affecting the health of general public. In addition, in many countries, burning plastic to get rid of it is a common practice but when plastic burns it release harmful gases such as, carbon monoxide and methane. These gases are harmful and increase the chances of cancer and other chronic diseases.

However, a number of policies can be implemented to solve this problem. First, government should ban the usage of plastic and impose heavy fines on individuals and stores using plastic items. Second, regular campaigns and awareness videos can help people to reduce the use of plastic bags and packaging. When individuals know the harmful effects of it to atmosphere and human body they minimize its use. Lastly, paper bags and other alternatives should be affordable and easy to find.

To conclude, plastic is harmful for our planet because it is hard to decompose. It posses a serious threat to human beings and animals. Thus, authorities should introduce comprehensive policies to restrict its use.

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 and clearly presented. However, the development is somewhat limited; for instance, the explanation of how governments can solve the problem could be more detailed, and the impact of individual actions is mentioned only briefly. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more specific examples or deeper analysis. For example, instead of just mentioning 'campaigns', you could explain how educational programs in schools or tax incentives for sustainable businesses would function in practice.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The progression of ideas is generally easy to follow. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Consequently', and 'In addition', which help link your points. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and the paragraphing could be improved by ensuring each paragraph focuses on a single, well-developed theme. The referencing is generally clear, though some sentences could be more smoothly connected to improve the overall flow of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'non-degradable', 'ecological system', and 'comprehensive policies'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'break it down in smaller pieces' (should be 'into') and 'to atmosphere' (should be 'to the atmosphere'). Additionally, the word 'posses' is a spelling error for 'poses'. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and ensure you are using words in their correct context to enhance the sophistication of your writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues like 'they takes' (should be 'it takes') and 'it release' (should be 'it releases'). There are also punctuation errors, such as the unnecessary comma in 'such as, carbon monoxide'. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and article usage would be highly beneficial.

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