Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-13

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)

In recent years, the issues related to environment has become a hot topic. The materials made from the plastic such as bags, bottles and packaging are harmful for the natural world. The initiatives taken by the government can control this damage to an extent.

The damage caused by plastic is severe and extreme. Firstly, Plastic is polluting the marine world. There are a lots of debris from plastic in the ocean, and the sea creatures are consuming it. As a result, this creatures will become extinct. For example, recent studies suggest that there are millions of plastic wastes present in the water surface. Furthermore, plastics cannot be decomposed and its particles will be present in the earth surface for billions of years. This will destroy the natural habitat, since it is a non-biodegradable waste. Animals and humans are eventually getting serious health problems.

However, this issue can be controlled by the government and people. To start with, the authorities can initialize good recycling and waste management programs. Finding an appropriate methods to teach individuals about these initiatives will be a good method. Moreover, plastic materials should be banned by the government. If anyone violates this law, they have to imposed with a penalty. For instance, when Dubai introduced this fine, there was a vast decline in the use of plastic items.

To conclude, there is no argument that plastic is damaging the ecosystem by pollution and destroying the natural habitat. But, government can control this damage by introducing recycling methods, and banning the plastic materials.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. The position is clear throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the discussion on marine pollution is relevant but lacks depth, and the solutions provided are somewhat generic. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your examples with more specific detail or logical reasoning. While you mention the Dubai example, the explanation of how individuals can contribute is less developed than the government's role. Overall, the response is relevant and covers the requirements sufficiently.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the problem from the solutions. You use some cohesive devices like 'Firstly', 'Furthermore', and 'To conclude' to link ideas. However, the flow between some sentences is slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as 'this creatures' (should be 'these creatures'). The progression of ideas is generally clear, but the transition between the environmental impact and the proposed solutions could be smoother to improve the overall coherence of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'non-biodegradable', 'debris', and 'ecosystem'. There are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'initialize good recycling' (should be 'implement' or 'initiate') and 'imposed with a penalty' (should be 'subject to a penalty'). Additionally, there are minor errors in pluralization and article usage, such as 'the issues related to environment' (should be 'the environment'). While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the vocabulary from reaching a higher level of precision and sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the issues... has become'), incorrect demonstrative pronouns ('this creatures'), and passive voice errors ('they have to imposed'). While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede the reader's understanding of your points. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic agreement and verb form consistency. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures while maintaining accuracy would help you achieve a higher band score in this criterion.

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