Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-20

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)

Nowadays, plastic is a commonly used material for anything like packaging, food items, etc. Plastic waste after use is very harmful to the environment. This essay will discuss the demerits of waste plastic to the environment and some possible ways to tackle the existing problem of plastic waste.

To start with, the problems created by plastic waste. Foremost demerit of plastic is that it stays in the land and slows down the fertility of soil in rural areas. This is a very big problem for farmers and the people who do agriculture. Moreover, the water life also gets affected by the plastic waste as it stays in the water, and the life inside the oceans is decreasing due to this pollution. For example, there is a pond near my village most of the plastic waste is openely thrown by the people of village, and this pollutes the water is becoming the reason of decreasing the number of fishes in the pond. These are some problems of plastic waste to the environment.

To continue with possible methods of removing this problem from the environment. The first one is that the government should make recycling factories for the recycling of plastic in the garbage, soil and in the water. Following this, people should follow some common laws and regulations to maintain the wastage. For instance, there is a village in my district and every individual from that village uses garbage bins for any kind of waste. These are some best possible ways to eliminate plastic waste from the environment.

Conclusively, there are some problems due to plastic waste . However, the good news is that people can solve this issue with some changes in their ethics related to society and with the help of the government.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The essay addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and suggesting solutions. However, the development is somewhat limited. While you mention soil fertility and marine life, the explanations are brief and rely heavily on personal anecdotes rather than broader, more analytical arguments. For example, the suggestion to 'make recycling factories' is a good start, but it lacks detail on how governments might implement this or why it is effective. To reach a higher band, aim to extend your ideas with more depth and provide more sophisticated reasoning that goes beyond local examples, ensuring the response feels fully developed throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use basic cohesive devices like 'To start with', 'Moreover', and 'Conclusively' to signal transitions. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of cohesive devices is repetitive. For instance, the transition 'To continue with possible methods' is slightly awkward. To improve, try using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that your referencing (e.g., 'this problem', 'these are') is always clear and precise. The overall progression of ideas is logical, but the connections could be more sophisticated.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'fertility', 'recycling', and 'regulations'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are instances of imprecise word choice, such as 'water life' instead of 'marine life' or 'aquatic ecosystems', and 'openely' (spelling error). To achieve a higher score, focus on using more precise collocations and a wider range of academic vocabulary. Avoid repeating simple words like 'problem' and 'waste' by using synonyms such as 'detrimental effects', 'pollution', or 'discarded materials'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While your meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'the water is becoming the reason of decreasing the number of fishes' (awkward phrasing) and 'make recycling factories for the recycling of plastic in the garbage, soil and in the water' (prepositional errors). Punctuation is mostly correct, but some sentences are clunky. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and refining your use of complex sentence structures. Ensure that your sentences are grammatically sound to avoid minor errors that occasionally distract the reader.

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