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)

In today’s world, all the plastic items such as bottles, bags, package are essential for daily lives. However, excessive use of this plastic has caused serious environmental issues. This essay will explain the damage caused by plastic and solution of these problems in following paragraphs.

Due to excessive use of plastic can create a big impact on the environment. One major problem is that plastic waste poses a serious threat for wildlife. Animals can swallow the plastic with food or become trapped in it, which can cause serious injury or death. As a result, wildlife population become reduced. Another significant issue is that plastic can cause soil and water pollution. Plastic takes hundred of years to break down in soil as a microplastic and this can enter the river and soil and disturb the ecosystems as well as affect the human health.

There are several ways to solve these problems effectively. Firstly, government should restrict the use of single use plastic and encourage use of eco-friendly bags as an alternative. As a result, people gradually reduce dependence on the plastic which can lead to less use of plastics and helpful to create clean environment. Secondly, individuals should use reusable items instead of plastic bottles and bags. This will reduce the daily plastic consumption and in a long term, it will help to minimize plastic pollution.

In conclusion, plastic pollution damages ecosystems, threatens wildlife and contributes to environmental impacts. Although governments need to introduce effective regulations as well as individuals also have an important role to play.

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 impact on wildlife and the suggestion of single-use plastic restrictions. However, the development is somewhat superficial. For example, the explanation of how plastic affects human health is mentioned but not expanded upon. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or deeper analysis of the consequences and the effectiveness of the proposed solutions. The position is clear throughout, but the overall depth of the argument is limited.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. There is a clear progression of ideas from the problem to the solutions. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'As a result', and 'In conclusion' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be more varied. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure is easy to follow, which provides a coherent flow of information throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the message to be conveyed clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'microplastic', 'ecosystems', and 'single-use plastic'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'package' instead of 'packaging' and 'wildlife population become reduced' instead of 'declines'. To improve, try to incorporate a wider range of collocations and more precise academic vocabulary to demonstrate greater flexibility and control over word choice.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors, such as 'Due to excessive use of plastic can create' (incorrect sentence structure) and 'government should' (missing article 'the'). Additionally, there are minor subject-verb agreement issues, such as 'wildlife population become reduced'. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures while ensuring accuracy in articles and verb forms would significantly improve your score.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.