Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-12

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)

There is an ongoing discussion about plastic waste that has devastating effects on the environment. If plastic is not recycled properly then the major concern it raises is of pollution which is negatively impacting the mankind and ecosystem. To provide solutions for this problem, society as a whole needs to take steps with the help of government authorities to guide individuals as well as to put some strict regulations in effect.

Examining the environment concern that plastic waste causes, the major problem is pollution. When people use plastic bags for buying groceries from stalls or local shops and after a single use they throw it combined with other waste then plastic does not get recycled as it should be done. Unlike to other household waste, plastic takes many years to evolve in earth surface. Owing to this, it creates soil and water pollution when it is mixed with compost or thrown in lakes and oceans. As a result, it creates soil erosion which is harmful for crop production and even disturb the ecosystem when thrown in oceans. To exemplify, many researchers have concluded that pollution level in India is at peaks because plastic is not at all recycled there. Hence, Plastic bags, plastic bottles, and plastic packaging is harmful not only for people but for flora and fauna too.

To provide some solutions for this problem, even some small steps taken by individuals can make a difference in the society. When a single person starts making efforts to take their plastic rubbish to their recycling stations then they will not only waste it in a proper way but can also influence others about taking some actions. People can start some local campaigns to let society know about the negative effects of using plastic for packaging and groceries. On the contrary, they can suggest people using paper bags or reusable bags for shopping or carton packaging for liquid products. Additionally, authorities should make some strict regulations and should announce heavy penalties for those not following the rules for proper recycling. Proper timely inspections should be conducted without any prior notice to the businesses to make sure plastic bags are not provided to consumers and reusable bags are preferred. For instance, in Japan government is strict and people are following the rules because they do not want to pay hefty amounts for fine.

To conclude, it is undeniable that plastic is harmful for people and environment so it should not be used at the level to end of life on the planet, thus, individuals and government must take actions to control this problem.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and proposing solutions for both governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed. For instance, the explanation of how plastic affects soil and water is clear. However, some points are slightly over-generalized, such as the claim that pollution in India is at 'peaks' specifically because of recycling issues. While the position is clear throughout, the development of ideas could be more nuanced to reach a higher band. Overall, the response fulfills the requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is generally smooth. Cohesive devices such as 'Owing to this', 'To exemplify', and 'Additionally' are used to link ideas. However, there are instances where the flow is slightly mechanical, and some transitions feel a bit repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, though some sentence structures could be more varied to improve the overall flow and cohesion between sentences.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task. You use some topic-specific terms like 'ecosystem', 'flora and fauna', and 'recycling stations'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'evolve in earth surface' (should be 'decompose in the soil') and 'waste it in a proper way' (should be 'dispose of it'). While these errors do not impede communication, they limit the precision of your expression. To improve, focus on using more natural collocations and precise terminology related to environmental issues.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('Plastic bags... is harmful') and awkward phrasing ('Unlike to other household waste'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors in article usage and prepositional phrases. While the meaning is always clear, the frequency of these small errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring accuracy in basic grammar will help improve this score.

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