Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-22

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)

Consumption of plastic goods has been deteriorating the environment from over a decade. A growing body of individuals claim that plastic products such as bottles, bags and packaging has detrimental effects of on the environment, there are still a few who opposes it. From my perspective, plastic goods do harm the environment by causing soil and air pollution, however these issues can be easily overcome by strict rules against the use of plastic and via spreading awareness at local levels.

One of the major damage plastic do to the nature is soil pollution. Since plastic is a non- biodegradable material, it can not be disposed easily. Therefore, it starts to get accumulated in soil, leading to reach trees' roots resulting in soil erosion. To cite an example, India's Meghalaya state faced the issue of soil erosion and land sliding because of the huge piles of plastic waste buried under the soil for disposable. Another consideration is of air pollution. Because people have lack of information about the plastic disposable, they tend to burn the used plastic bags to reduce waste generation which leads to air pollution as burning of plastic goods release toxic gases to air which cause Ozone layer depletion, green house effect and respiratory diseases in humans.

To eliminate these issues, the best solution is to ban the use of plastic products. To illustrate, in Himachal Pradesh, India, the government has prohibited the use of plastic materials to reduce waste accumulation which improved the local air and soil quality significantly. Furthermore, at regional levels, seminars and camps should be organized by people to promote awareness about the detrimental affects of plastic and how to decompose it.

Taking everything into account, I finally arrives at the conclusion that owing to the negative and harmful effects of plastic goods on the surrounding such as air and soil pollution, authorities should take some strict steps of banning the plastic and organizing camps to reduce its use.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

You have addressed all parts of the prompt, identifying the environmental damage caused by plastic and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. Your position is clear throughout the essay. The ideas are relevant, such as soil erosion and air pollution, and you provide specific examples like the situation in Himachal Pradesh. However, some points could be developed further; for instance, the explanation of how plastic reaches tree roots is scientifically vague and could be more precise. Overall, you have fulfilled the requirements of the task well, providing a balanced response that covers both the problems and the solutions effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'To cite an example', 'Another consideration is', and 'Furthermore' to guide the reader through your arguments. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. While the progression is generally clear, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as the phrase 'the issue of soil erosion and land sliding' which could be linked more smoothly to the previous sentence. Nevertheless, the overall structure is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'non-biodegradable', 'detrimental', and 'prohibited'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'deteriorating the environment from over a decade' (should be 'for over a decade') and 'people have lack of information' (should be 'lack information'). You also confuse 'affects' (verb) with 'effects' (noun) in the third paragraph. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band score. Expanding your range of precise collocations would improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. However, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('plastic products... has detrimental effects', 'plastic do to the nature'), incorrect preposition usage ('to air' instead of 'into the air'), and tense errors ('I finally arrives'). While these errors are noticeable, they rarely impede the reader's understanding of your main points. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring consistent verb tenses throughout your writing.

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

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