Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Plastic bags, bottles, and packaging are harmful to the environment. This essay will discuss the damage they cause to the environment and its solution.

Blockage and flooding are among the damages these materials cause to the environment. Improper channeling of these waste products and materials tends to block the gutters and drainage in the environment, thereby causing flooding, which can lead to loss of lives and properties, and displacement of children. These wastes are generally produced or generated from industries and factories. The inability of these factories and industries to have a good channeling of these waste materials may result in exposing them to the drainage, which can lead to high flooding of the environment.

Another damage these waste products causes in the health risks of people living around this place. The inhabitants of such an environment where industrial waste products are not managed and channeled well for proper disposal can lead to high health risks. Some of these waste materials are dumped in some rivers and streams that people who live there make use of, thereby giving room for water pollution and diseases that come with water pollution, such as typhoid, dysentery, and rashes.

There are so many ways the government and individuals can solve these problems. One of the ways is by creating a good drainage system for the people and by creating proper disposal canals for waste materials from these industries and factories. With the creation of a proper drainage system in such an environment, there will be good passage of water when it rains to avoid stagnation. Making gutters bigger and wider with good construction ability will be of good help to the drainage system of the environment. Also, industrial and factory owners should devise a means by which industrial waste and products can be disposed of without causing environmental pollution, such as water and air pollution. For instance, the government can construct new bigger gutters that have waste filters in them, and industries can create a bigger channel in a distant location for their waste disposal.

In conclusion, flooding and blockage are some of the damages these industrial wastes cause, while building new, bigger drainage systems and good channeling of this waste can be good solutions

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the environmental damage caused by plastic and potential solutions. However, the development is somewhat limited. The focus remains heavily on drainage and flooding, which is only one aspect of plastic pollution. The discussion on health risks is relevant but could be expanded with more specific examples. The solutions provided are practical but rely heavily on infrastructure improvements rather than broader systemic or individual behavioral changes. To reach a higher band, you should broaden your scope to include other environmental impacts, such as marine life endangerment or microplastic contamination, and provide more nuanced solutions for both governments and individuals.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. There is a progression of ideas from the problem to the solution. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. For example, the phrase 'these waste products' and 'these waste materials' is used frequently, which makes the flow feel a bit stiff. Additionally, some transitions between sentences are basic. Improving the variety of linking words and using more sophisticated referencing (e.g., 'the latter,' 'such measures') would help the text flow more naturally and improve the overall cohesion of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'stagnation,' 'disposal,' and 'pollution.' However, the range is somewhat limited, and there is a tendency to repeat basic words like 'good,' 'big,' and 'waste.' There are also minor issues with collocation, such as 'good channeling' or 'high flooding,' which sound slightly unnatural. To improve, try to incorporate more precise academic vocabulary and avoid overusing simple adjectives. Expanding your range of synonyms will help you express your ideas with greater precision and sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text. For instance, 'Another damage these waste products causes in the health risks' contains a subject-verb agreement error and an awkward prepositional phrase. There are also issues with article usage and sentence construction, such as 'the displacement of children' being slightly disconnected from the main point. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and refining complex sentence structures would be beneficial.

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