Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-15

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)

It has been universally accepted that problem of usage of plastic such as bags, bottles or packaging is escalating at an alarming rate. The problem is bringing a state of depression in the environment as well as in marine life too. There are plethora of reasons of the same and its possible solutions can be suggested too which are discussed as follows.

In regards to the problem, the major reason which can be stated is nowadays industries in order to earn more money, companies are producing non-recyclable plastic, which the recollection center finds it hard to destroy it. As a result, workers burn the plastic, which release the harmful gases into the atmosphere and impact the air quality index ration to make it hard to breath outside. This issue brings a health problems such as asthma for elderly individuals. Another problematic cause is people throw plastic into the water bodies, which harms the marine life as they consider it as a food. Due to this, they end up losing their lives and causing extinction. For example, in a recent published report in the "Times of India" mentioned how fishermen leaving their plastic waste in the seas, which caused blue whale to sacrifice his life.

Seeing the problem with a brighter mind, many of solutions can be helpful to curb this menace. One if the solution is government should implies stricter policies to the industries to manufacture only recyclable plastic within the authorities guidelines. The government should establish fast-track courts to take legal actions promptly, this way it can set a benchmark among factories to follow guidelines. Secondly, individuals can also contribute such as school teachers or parents by educating youngster in their early age by sharing how marine life also plays a vital role helping to save this environment. For instance, in Germany many school teachers teach adolescents about marine life and their advantage of keeping global warming to its lowest.

To conclude, solving a plastic burning issue is not easy but with the joint efforts of the people and government, a control can be taken over the problem with the aforementioned suggested measures. I believe that everyone should come forward to mitigate this problem.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage caused by plastic and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, such as the mention of air quality issues and the role of education. However, some points are slightly under-developed or rely on generalizations, such as the specific example of the blue whale, which feels a bit anecdotal. The position is clear throughout, and the essay maintains a consistent focus on the topic. To reach a higher band, ensure that all arguments are supported with more precise, logical reasoning rather than relying on potentially hyperbolic claims.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. There is a clear progression of ideas from the problem to the solutions. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'In regards to the problem,' 'As a result,' and 'To conclude,' which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'Seeing the problem with a brighter mind.' Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as the use of 'the same' in the introduction. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the logical flow is sufficient to follow the writer's argument without difficulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'plethora,' 'mitigate,' and 'menace.' However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'state of depression in the environment,' 'air quality index ration,' and 'government should implies.' These errors do not impede communication but indicate a lack of precision. To improve, focus on learning collocations and ensuring that words are used in their correct grammatical form.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the writer attempts complex sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('government should implies,' 'companies are producing... which the recollection center finds it hard to destroy it') and article usage. Punctuation is generally functional, though there are minor slips. The errors are noticeable but rarely impede the reader's understanding of the main points. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to demonstrate more consistent control over complex structures and reduce the frequency of basic grammatical slips.

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