Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-21

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 6.5)

PLastic bags , plastic bottles and plastic packaging are one of the major cause for environmental damage. There are various damages that plastic can cause to the environment. Firstly, when we dispose of these plastic products in the water bodies , they can cause danger to the sea creatures and can effect the quality of water.Secondly, plastic does not decompose in the soil, which in return can decrease the fertility of soil. Additionally, when we burn these plastic items , they generate chemicals and harmful gases that might cause health issues to the humans. In India, there was a manufacturing unit in our village . They used to burn plastic bottles that created a cloud on our village of dangerous gases . it caused various health issues to the residents of our village especially childern and elderly people. These health problems included brealthing issues and itching in eyes.

Governments and individuals are equally responsible to decrease this waste to save our environment. Government can stop the production of plastic bags and encourage people to use paper and cloth bags . Givernment should enforce some rules and laws aganist industries that produce massive products and use plastics for their pacakging and can suggest them alternatives such as cardboard and paper . More recycling machines can be installed in residential areas that can enourage people to recycle cans and bottles and earn money from their waste. Disposing plastic in water bodies should also be banned. Individuals should also consider them equally responsible to help government in these initiatives

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage caused by plastic and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant and supported by a personal example regarding a manufacturing unit in India. However, the development of the solutions is somewhat brief. While the points are clear, they could be expanded with more depth to reach a higher band. The position is consistent throughout, and the response effectively covers the requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into paragraphs, with a clear progression from the problems to the solutions. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Additionally', and 'However' are used to link ideas. While the paragraphing is appropriate, the transition between the personal anecdote and the broader discussion could be smoother. The use of referencing is generally clear, though some sentences are slightly repetitive in structure. Overall, the flow of information is easy to follow and the logical structure is sound.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to convey their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at topic-specific vocabulary like 'decompose', 'fertility', and 'manufacturing unit'. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'childern', 'brealthing', 'aganist', and 'pacakging', which detract from the overall quality. The range of vocabulary is sufficient but lacks the sophistication or precision required for a higher band score. Improving spelling and using more varied collocations would enhance this score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'one of the major cause' (should be 'causes'), 'can effect' (should be 'affect'), and 'cloud on our village of dangerous gases' (awkward phrasing). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. A greater focus on subject-verb agreement and sentence construction would be beneficial.

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