Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-25

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 waste has become a serious issue all over the world as most of the plastic dump such as bottles, caps, packaging is not discarded properly, due to which the issue is evolving day by day. This essay will outline the harms that plastic does to environment along with steps that could be taken by government to address the problem.

Plastic has become worrying issue because it takes thousands of years to decompose. Plastic junk in water bodies like seas, lakes, rivers badly affect the marine life as beings such as fishes mistake plastic as their food which results in their death or suffer from diseases which afterwards affect human beings who eat sea food. In addition, most the plastic waste is not properly recycled which results in pollution of land and burning of plastic dump releases various harmful gases in the atmosphere which results in air pollution and poor breathing air quality resulting health problems in living beings.

Government can address the issue of plastic management by means such as imposing more tax on plastic commodities which will result in less purchasing of so. Moreover, new rules and regulations could be implemented to encourage or ultimately force the population to recycle the plastic dump. Also, different dump carts could be also introduced to make it easy for the working individuals to manage the domestic plastic waste.

Although, it is government's function to address the issue yet it's also the responsibility of the people to do so. As people could reduce the usage of products that come in plastic packaging and also residents could begin using reusable items like refillable bottle. As a result it will not become extremely difficult for the government to mange and solve the issue of plastic wastage.

To conclude, although plastic waste management is one of the most serious concerns as bottles and packages made of plastic harm the environment and life of beings yet government must take suitable aforementioned steps to solve the issue along with participation of people. So a balanced approach of both the parties is essential to address the issue.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt. You clearly identify the environmental damage caused by plastic, such as the impact on marine life and air pollution from burning. You also propose solutions for both governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed, although the explanation of government solutions could be more specific. For example, instead of just 'imposing more tax', you could have discussed the impact of plastic bag bans or subsidies for biodegradable alternatives. Your position is clear throughout, and the essay follows a logical structure that covers all requirements of the task.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, such as the environmental impact in the second paragraph and government/individual solutions in the third and fourth. You use cohesive devices like 'In addition', 'Moreover', and 'To conclude' to link ideas. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and the flow between the government and individual sections could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'decompose', 'marine life', 'commodities', and 'recycling'. There are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'plastic dump' instead of 'plastic waste' or 'plastic debris', and 'purchasing of so'. While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, there are occasional inaccuracies in collocation. However, these errors do not impede communication, and the range is sufficient to convey your arguments clearly and effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'badly affect the marine life' (should be 'badly affects'), 'most the plastic waste' (missing 'of'), and 'mange' (spelling error). Additionally, the sentence 'Although, it is government's function to address the issue yet it's also...' is structurally incorrect because 'although' and 'yet' should not be used together in this way. Despite these errors, your meaning is generally clear, and the punctuation is mostly accurate.

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