Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

The use of plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic packaging is skyrocketed. I belive it is omnipresent and everybody uses it in daily life without considering the damage it does to environment.

It diminishes the environment and natural resources in numerous ways. Firstly, plastic is non biodegradable and it requires a lot of effort as well as money to get recycled. Also, as per the reasearch done in 2014 by Robert Williams, it was revealed that long term use of plastic can trigger several diseases in human body such as Brain cancer, lungs problem along with mental disorders. Some folks also dump plastic waste directly to our natural resources which causes pollution. For instance, throwing garbage in rivers results in water pollution and dumping plastic in soil targets land pollution which will later reduce the productiveness of land.

Plastic wastes requires a systematic disposal such as various projects should be implemented by authorities to recycle plastic and to reduce waste. Moreover, new laws should be forced to throw plastic and cans separately from household waste and there should be penalities for not following this law. Individuals can also contribute in reducing plastic waste such as using reusable paper or cloth bags instead of plastic ones and they should repair household items instead of purchasing new ones.

Plastic bags, bottles and plastic packaging is an ongoing dilemma that everyone is facing and it is rising day by day. It can create a major consequences if necassary steps will not be taken.

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 both governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of non-biodegradable waste and the suggestion of reusable bags. However, the development is somewhat limited; the claim regarding plastic causing brain cancer and lung problems lacks scientific context and feels slightly tangential to the core environmental focus. To reach a higher band, ensure that arguments are more thoroughly explained and directly linked to the environmental impact rather than relying on unverified medical claims. The position is clear throughout, and the structure covers all requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for the two main questions, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'Firstly', 'Also', and 'Moreover', which help guide the reader through the arguments. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and there are instances where the flow could be smoother. For example, the transition between the environmental damage and the solutions could be more sophisticated. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the different aspects of the prompt, which helps the overall readability of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some attempts at more specific terminology like 'non-biodegradable', 'omnipresent', and 'systematic disposal'. However, there are several spelling errors ('belive', 'reasearch', 'necassary', 'penalities') and some awkward collocations, such as 'is skyrocketed' (should be 'has skyrocketed') and 'forced to throw' (should be 'enforced'). While the range is sufficient to convey the message, the frequency of spelling and word-choice errors prevents a higher score. Expanding the range of academic vocabulary and focusing on accurate spelling would significantly improve the quality of the writing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors that occur throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('Plastic wastes requires', 'Plastic bags... is'), and incorrect verb forms ('if necassary steps will not be taken' should be 'are not taken'). While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to be noticeable. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of conditional structures. The punctuation is generally functional, but the overall control of complex grammar needs more consistency to reach the next band level.

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