Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-09

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)

In recent years, a noticeable trend has emerged among using a plastic bags, containers and packaging which are severe for the surrounding nature and environment. This shift can be contributed to various factors that reflect cheaper manufacturing cost and attractive appearance. However, a few steps could be taken to solve the situation at larger extent. The following paragraphs will further elucidate the reasons and provide solutions to tackle the problem.

To begin with the causes behind this, the foremost common is that plastic is not costly material in production. For instance, many industries are using it to manufacture car body components or parts of electronic appliances which pollute the air when they burn. Apart from that, plastic packaging is easy to pack the food and beverage items, but it pollutes land when it throws away after use as some of the plastic items are non-recyclable and do not decompose in soil.

On the other hand, to combat the issue, some productive measures can help to overcome it. The initial one is that individuals should use a paper bag rather than plastic one because it does not reduce the land quality and it is recyclable. Furthermore, food dishes and fruits can be stored in glass containers instead of plastic wraps and boxes which emit microplastic particles when burn or they go in recycling process. Moreover, Government should put a label on each product to show whether it is recyclable or not, so consumer can aware that which one should be bought. For example, I only buy a water bottle which is labelled as environment safe.

To recapitulate, although there are several issues due to plastic usage, taking actions like paper manufacturing and use of glass products can clear up the problems to an extensive level.

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 of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the explanation of how plastic pollutes the air when burned is a good start but lacks depth. The solutions provided are relevant, such as using paper bags and glass containers, but the discussion on government intervention is brief and could be more fully extended. The position is clear throughout, but the overall depth of analysis remains at a functional level rather than a fully developed one.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To begin with', 'On the other hand', and 'To recapitulate', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'The initial one is that individuals should use...'. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, such as the use of 'it' in 'because it does not reduce the land quality', where the antecedent is slightly ambiguous. Overall, the progression of ideas is coherent, but the management of cohesion could be more sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'elucidate' and 'recapitulate', which are used correctly. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'contributed to' instead of 'attributed to', 'severe for the surrounding nature' instead of 'harmful to the environment', and 'clear up the problems' instead of 'mitigate the problems'. These errors do not impede communication but limit the precision of the 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 frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('a plastic bags', 'a water bottle') and verb forms ('when they burn', 'so consumer can aware'). Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'This shift can be contributed to various factors that reflect cheaper manufacturing cost'. Despite these errors, the writer demonstrates an ability to construct complex sentences, and the errors rarely cause confusion for the reader.

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