Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-10

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)

Nowadays, the usage of plastic material such as bags, bottle and packaging material has become increasingly popular among people. This trend is largely driven by the belief that plastic materials are easily available and cheap. However, this behavior has a negative effect on the environment. Due to its non-decomposing nature, plastic can block hoses. I personally believe, the government should impose fines on the violators.

One major disadvantage of plastic is, it can not be decomposed. Which means, if it is thrown in the canals, will result in blockage of the hoses. Moreover, it has been seen that, when people dump packaging material on the road, some stray animals tend to eat it, which results in their health issues. Additionally, it has been seen that packaged food can be dangerous for the consumers due to its plastic packaging materials. For instance, when a toddler is given a toy which is made of plastic is not considered safe. Babies tend to put it in their mouths and causes infections and allergies.

However, to resolve this problem, the government should impose some strict rules on the plastics users. The government should shut down the factories which are manufacturing plastic goods. This action can bring abrupt change in the world. Moreover, there should be a fine on the people who still found with plastic bags. Furthermore, the authority should give awareness sessions to the public to let them know about the pros and cons of the plastic use.

In conclusion, there is no such advantage of using plastic materials, although it has number of negative points, such as, health issues, environment pollutions. Therefore, it is an individual's duty to not using any plastic goods. If every individual will understand his responsibility, there will be a change in the world.

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 governments and individuals. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, the suggestion to 'shut down the factories which are manufacturing plastic goods' is an extreme and impractical solution that lacks depth or nuance. While the position is clear, the arguments regarding health issues for toddlers and stray animals are somewhat disjointed and could be better linked to the broader environmental impact. To reach a higher band, focus on providing more realistic and well-reasoned arguments that demonstrate a deeper understanding of the complexity of the issue.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Moreover', 'Additionally', and 'In conclusion', though some transitions feel mechanical or repetitive. The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the internal structure of the second paragraph is slightly fragmented. For instance, the transition between the issue of canal blockage and the health of stray animals is abrupt. Improving the flow between sentences and using a wider variety of cohesive markers would enhance the overall coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their ideas clearly. There is some attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'non-decomposing' and 'packaging material'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'block hoses' (likely meaning drains or waterways) and 'still found with plastic bags'. The repetition of basic words like 'plastic' and 'government' suggests a need for more synonyms and a broader range of collocations to demonstrate greater lexical flexibility.

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 ('the government', 'the world'), subject-verb agreement ('causes infections'), and sentence fragments ('Which means, if it is thrown...'). Some sentences are also slightly ungrammatical, such as 'there is no such advantage of using plastic materials'. These errors do not typically impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would be highly beneficial.

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