Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Environment is an important part in our lives. We should always try to protect our natural habitat. Citizens plays an vital role in damaging the nature and effective steps are taken by government to stop the damage.

There are various reasons to support the statement that plastic is bad for the nature. Municipality can conduct seminar to educate local people on harmful effects of plastic products. To cite an example, the famous supermarket known as Walmart stopped using plastic bags at cash register. Government can provide subsidies to business for production of eco-friendly packaging. Business have a high cost of operation and little help from government can make huge difference. It will also help to save nature.

The protection of nature can be done at individual level. For instance, family can carry water bottle while going out for dinner. It ensures no plastic water bottle will be purchased and helps to save environment. According to a recent survey, it was revealed that plastic have 70% bad impact on our environment. The ruling party may impose fines for the usage of plastic packaging. It will promote the usage of environment friendly packaging. Local business can stop providing plastic bags to regular customers and advice to use cloth bags.

To conclude, citizens and authorities must align and work together to save our environment. In my opinion, ministry should propose changes for the usage of plastic for business as well as individuals. Practically plastic usage cannot be completing eliminated but can be reduced at a significant level.

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 the solutions for governments and individuals. However, the development is somewhat superficial. While you mention that plastic is bad, you do not detail the specific environmental damage (e.g., marine life ingestion, microplastics, or landfill accumulation). The solutions are relevant, but the explanation of how they function is brief. To improve, ensure you provide more depth to your arguments rather than listing several ideas quickly. For example, instead of just stating that plastic has a '70% bad impact,' explain the mechanism of pollution to demonstrate a more thorough understanding of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. You use some cohesive devices like 'To cite an example,' 'For instance,' and 'To conclude.' However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the logical progression within paragraphs could be smoother. For instance, the transition between the government's role and the individual's role is abrupt. Additionally, some referencing is slightly unclear, such as the vague mention of a 'recent survey' without context. Using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to communicate your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'eco-friendly packaging' and 'subsidies.' However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and collocation errors, such as 'damaging the nature' (should be 'damaging nature') and 'completing eliminated' (should be 'completely eliminated'). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic descriptors. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing. Expanding your range to include more sophisticated synonyms for common words will significantly improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors that affect the accuracy of your writing. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues like 'Citizens plays' (should be 'Citizens play') and 'Business have' (should be 'Businesses have'), as well as article usage errors like 'save environment' (should be 'save the environment'). While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article placement to ensure your sentences are more polished and error-free.

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

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