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)

"Say No To Plastic"- nowadays school teaches children on this. Because plastic makes a huge impact on global warming, climate change, quality of water and all. I totally agree to not to use plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic packaging as they are bad for the environment. It is multi-faced damage.

One of the most important step to reduce plastic usage is to get it banned by government. When plastic is disposed into sea as a waste it impacts of under water species. When plastic is burnt it creates bad smell and also it affects air quality. Such things leads to poor quality in sea food, health disease from air specially new born and old age people. Moreover, it is biodegradable meaning it takes several years to decompose which reduces soil fertility when lying on ground for long. Government should apply high taxes when plastic is been used.

Individuals should also stop using plastic in various ways. Such as by using recyclable or paper bags while shopping, using refillable bottles when needed or take water bottle from home while leaving, not using poly-bags for getting produce green items in retails like Walmart. I have seen many people using plastic bags for throwing daily kitchen or washroom waste which is more hazardous to health for the person who gets your garbage from your house everyday or weekly.

Overall, pollution is dangerous for ecosystem and wildlife. This problem can be effectively managed if government imply strict rules and regulations, individuals decide for safe and pure life changes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. However, the development is somewhat superficial. For example, the explanation of how plastic affects underwater species is brief and lacks depth. While the position is clear, the ideas are not fully extended or supported with detailed evidence. The essay meets the minimum length requirement, but the arguments could be more robustly developed to reach a higher band. The conclusion is a bit repetitive, merely restating the prompt rather than synthesizing the main points effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a basic progression of ideas from the problem to the solutions. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Such things leads to' or 'Such as by using'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the transition between sentences could be smoother. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the overall flow is hindered by these minor lapses in cohesive structure, which prevents the essay from achieving a higher score in this criterion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks sophistication. There are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'getting produce green items' and 'health disease'. The student uses basic terms like 'bad' and 'huge impact' repeatedly. While the meaning is generally clear, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there is little attempt to use less common or more precise academic terminology. To improve, the student should focus on using more varied and contextually appropriate collocations related to environmental issues.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader. Examples include 'It is multi-faced damage' (should be 'multifaceted'), 'One of the most important step' (should be 'steps'), and 'Government should apply high taxes when plastic is been used' (should be 'is being used'). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While the errors do not completely obscure the meaning, they are frequent enough to suggest a lack of control over more complex grammatical structures.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.