Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

Nowadays the usage of plastic have increased as compared to the past. Plastic bags, bottles and packaging are bad for the environment as they cannot be decompose. Further, there are several problems of it but there are certain solutions to overcome this barriers which will be discussed in detail in the upcoming paragraph.

Initially, there are few problems of it as it damages the environment. As plastic can't be decompose it can affect the animals in their life. For instance, Cows are in search of food they end up eating plastic bag from the garbage. As a result, it can affect their health in future time. To overcome this barrier government should ban plastic materials and individuals should also try to avoid the usage of plastic bags and other plastic materials.

In addition to this, as we all know plastic damages our environment and so to overcome this barrier government should make a ban on plastic producing companies and should replaced them by cotton producing bags company. As a result it will minimize the usage of plastic materials in our daily life. Furthermore, it is individual responsibility to avoid usage of plastic materials such as bags, bottles and packaging.

To recapitulate, plastic is used by people on daily bases and thus it harm our environment as it can't be decomposed in nature. Further, it can affect animals as they feed from garbage bins. However, Government should take possible actions and they should replaced the plastic producing company with cotton producing. company.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the environmental damage caused by plastic and potential solutions. However, the development of ideas is limited. The example of cows eating plastic is relevant but lacks depth, and the proposed solutions, such as replacing plastic companies with cotton ones, are somewhat simplistic and lack practical detail. The position is clear, but the overall argument would benefit from more sophisticated reasoning and broader examples to fully explore the complexity of the issue. The response meets the requirements of the task but remains at a basic level of development.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often repetitive and sometimes mechanical (e.g., 'In addition to this', 'Furthermore', 'To recapitulate'). There are instances where the logical flow is slightly disjointed, particularly in the transition between the problem and the solution. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and the paragraphing, while present, does not always effectively group related ideas. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks range and precision. There is significant repetition of basic terms like 'plastic', 'environment', 'materials', and 'usage'. Some word choices are inaccurate, such as 'overcome this barriers' (should be 'these barriers') and 'daily bases' (should be 'daily basis'). The student attempts to use some topic-specific vocabulary, but the range is limited, and there is little evidence of less common or idiomatic language. To improve, the student should focus on using synonyms and more precise collocations to convey ideas more effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'usage of plastic have increased'), incorrect verb forms (e.g., 'cannot be decompose' instead of 'cannot be decomposed'), and article misuse. While the meaning is generally understandable, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on consistent verb tense usage and ensuring correct passive voice construction would significantly improve the accuracy of the writing.

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