Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-19

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)

Body Paragraph 1

Plastic items are damaging the environment badly,

Talking about plastics , it damages our soil for growing crops since it takes so much time to rout.

Therefore, farmers find it difficult when they want to grow their crops. It a time waste as well because they have to spend time making sure the plastics are removed or cleared from the ground before the can start their farming.

On the other hand, plastic bottles can cause more harm to people especially when it is broken,.

The most vulnerable are kids, this is because they are fond of picking things just because they are curious and sometimes they don't any idea w]how dangerous it is.

Body Paragraph 2

The government and the citizens can come together by agreeing on keeping their country free of plastics.

The most important one is the government distributing garbage cans to every house hold, bus stations, schools and the entire community.

This will help people not to litter around the nation.

Secondly, there should be a fine or any other form of punishment for those who liter around and don't put their waste in the garbage cans, it will serve as learning to others not to follow their footsteps.

Also the people in the country can monitor each other and correct those who litter around even if they see a dustbin.

In addition, there should be educative programs on radios and television stations to serve as informing people about the consequences of how plastics are to the country.

For example, a short video on the television to show how plastics damage their environment.

For my experience, i have seen where farmers struggle to clear their land from plastic bags and bottles before starting their farm business, which takes a lot of time and it is stressful as well.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

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 somewhat limited. The discussion on environmental damage focuses primarily on soil and safety for children, which is relevant but lacks depth. The solutions provided are practical, such as distributing garbage cans and implementing fines, but the explanation of how these would effectively solve the global plastic crisis is brief. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your points with more detailed explanations or broader examples, such as the impact on marine life or the role of international policy.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, and there is a logical progression of ideas from the problem to the solutions. You use some cohesive devices like 'Therefore', 'On the other hand', and 'In addition' to link your thoughts. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. Additionally, the paragraphing is a bit unconventional, with some sentences standing alone or lacking smooth transitions between them. Improving the flow between sentences and using a wider variety of linking words would enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but remains quite basic. You rely on simple terms like 'bad', 'harm', and 'time waste'. While you attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary such as 'environment', 'garbage cans', and 'educative programs', there are instances of awkward phrasing, such as 'rout' (likely meaning 'rot' or 'decompose') and 'liter around'. To improve, focus on using more precise academic vocabulary and ensuring correct collocations. Expanding your range of synonyms will help you express your ideas with greater clarity and sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, including issues with subject-verb agreement ('it damages our soil'), article usage, and punctuation (e.g., unnecessary commas after 'plastics' or 'broken'). Some sentences are fragmented or awkward, such as 'it takes so much time to rout'. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic errors and practice constructing more complex sentences with accurate punctuation. Increasing your control over these fundamental structures will significantly improve your score.

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

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