Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
In the modern world the use of plastic bags enhancing day by day which is really harmful for the environment. it creates many problems and it has many causes for using the plastic in day to day life and government take several steps to solve these issues that i will share in the upcoming paragraphs.
On the one hand, In today world the plastic consumption is enhancing rapidly ,but it put bad impact on the environment because plastic is produced harmful gases in the air that make the air polluted as everyone knows that it has many chemical and dust substances that make it bad for the environment and it puts bad impact on people health they cannot take proper breath due to polluted air. For example, due to industrialization, plastic bags and other material mostly made with it because it easy to process. in the survey,80 percent plastic is used by people in their day to day life that is very harmful for the environment.
On the other hand, government take several steps for reducing the use of plastic . government introduce the people about the bad impacts of the plastics through the seminares and motivate people to use green bags that easily disolved in the environment. if people use handmade bags instead of plastic bags they can save the environment because theses bags are environmental friendly and people use it for a long time. Moreover, government put fins factories those use the plastic bags.
Conclusion, plastic is used by people for their day to day work but it damage the environment because it has numerous harmful gases that are not environment friendly so people and factories need to stop the use of plastic bags for save the environment.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the environmental damage caused by plastic and potential solutions from governments and individuals. However, the development of ideas is limited. The explanation of environmental damage is somewhat repetitive and lacks scientific clarity, focusing on 'harmful gases' rather than specific issues like marine pollution or microplastics. The solutions provided are relevant but remain superficial, such as the suggestion of 'seminares' and 'handmade bags'. To reach a higher band, you need to provide more detailed, specific examples and a more thorough exploration of the consequences and solutions.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, the transition 'On the one hand' is used, but the corresponding 'On the other hand' is followed by a paragraph that discusses government actions rather than a balanced counter-argument. Additionally, the flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed due to grammatical errors, and the referencing (e.g., 'it' referring to plastic) is occasionally ambiguous, making the progression of ideas feel somewhat repetitive.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'bad impact', 'harmful', and 'problems' repeatedly. There are also issues with word formation and collocation, such as 'enhancing day by day' (instead of 'increasing') and 'put fins' (instead of 'impose fines'). While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety and occasional incorrect word choices limit the score in this criterion.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex structures, but there is a high frequency of grammatical errors. Common issues include subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'government take'), missing articles, and incorrect tense usage (e.g., 'plastic is produced harmful gases'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several run-on sentences and missing capital letters at the start of sentences. These errors are frequent and occasionally require the reader to re-read to understand the intended meaning.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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