Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-17

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 today's scenario, Everyone walk towards the cheapest and easily available option which improves their life easily. For instant, Plastic and it's products. But, in real it is very dangerous to human heath as well as environment.

In the begging, let us talk the damage caused by plastic to our environment. Plastic bags, bottles and many more things when people wants to get rid of it they mostly burns it which causes the carbon fumes which is responsible for most of the respiratory track related diseases. Another thing is it is also responsible for damage on O3 layer and eventually it leads to increase in the atmospheric temperature.

For this, I can say both government and public, they have to change their daily habit by replacing the plastic products with the biodegradable one. We all know that it costs lots of money but government should help and provide the products easily available and on a cheapest price, so all can buy it easily. For example, People should start using glass bottles or stainless steel bottle for drinking purposes which will eventually reduces the continuous purchase of the plastic bottles. I would like to tell you my own experience with bottles, for my daily use I am using clay bottle as our ancient use it to keep water cool which is completely true and affective.

Lastly, it is true that may be some people cannot afford it, or things are not easily available for them and plastic is the handiest option for them, I would say they should try to avoid the use of it and also government should land a helping hand in the same matter.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the explanation of the ozone layer damage is scientifically vague, and the solutions provided, while relevant, lack depth. The argument could be strengthened by providing more specific examples of government policies, such as plastic taxes or bans, rather than just general suggestions. The position is clear, but the overall development remains at a basic level, which limits the score to a 5.5.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. Phrases like 'In the begging' (intended as 'beginning') and 'For this, I can say' are used to link ideas, but they do not always flow naturally. There is some repetition of ideas, and the transition between the environmental impact and the proposed solutions is abrupt. While the paragraphing is present, the internal cohesion within paragraphs needs more sophisticated linking words to improve the logical flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'In today's scenario', 'it's products' (incorrect use of apostrophe), and 'the cheapest price'. The student relies on basic vocabulary and struggles with collocations. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety and the presence of errors in word formation and usage prevent a higher score. Expanding the range of topic-specific vocabulary would be beneficial.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and some attempted complex sentences, but grammatical errors are frequent and pervasive. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('Everyone walk'), incorrect verb forms ('when people wants'), and punctuation errors. There are also frequent errors with articles and prepositions. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are noticeable throughout the text and demonstrate a lack of control over complex structures. To improve, the student should focus on basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like subject-verb agreement and pluralisation.

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