Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

It is often true that, use of the plastic can have drastic effects on the environment. I will discuss all damages done by plastic to our nature and also give some solutions at the government and individual level in this essay.

The plastic is non-biodegradable substance which can takes years to recycle itself. To begin with, it can harm wildlife when they eat plastic things. For example, It can be seen that people throw the plastic bottles in the forest as well as in the water while travelling. That can led animals to eat plastic and causing starvation, injury and death. As a result, these can directly affect to our ecosystem and food chain. Apart from this, when we burn any plastic materials, that can leave extremely bad chemical substances in the air, which can create an air pollution which is definitely disastrous for the environment.

Several steps should be take by the government and citizens to alleviate these problems. Firstly, the government should release strict laws regarding reduce in use of plastic materials. For instance, in year 2023, there was a law from the government which stated that to stop using plastic bags at any local vendors. Secondly, the administration of the country should be contributed more funds for recycle of the plastic waste. Moreover, the government should organize awareness campaign regarding plastic use, and it's duty of individuals to attend program and apply in their lives.

In conclusion, although damage of the plastic things on the environment is severe, combination of the government and individuals effort can minimize this problem by taking several steps like public awareness, funds contribution to recycle and strict laws.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt: it identifies environmental damage caused by plastic and proposes solutions for both governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant, such as the impact on wildlife and the need for legislative action. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the discussion on air pollution from burning plastic is brief, and the solutions could be more deeply explored with more specific examples or logical consequences. The position is clear throughout, but the essay would benefit from more detailed elaboration to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To begin with', 'Apart from this', and 'Firstly', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the phrase 'these can directly affect to our ecosystem', where the pronoun 'these' lacks a clear, singular antecedent. Overall, the progression of ideas is coherent and easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'non-biodegradable', 'ecosystem', and 'alleviate'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'use of the plastic' (should be 'the use of plastic'), 'recycle of the plastic' (should be 'recycling plastic'), and 'contributed more funds' (should be 'contribute more funds'). These errors do not impede communication but indicate a need for more precise control over word forms and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include 'can takes years' (should be 'can take'), 'should be take' (should be 'should be taken'), and 'regarding reduce in use' (should be 'regarding the reduction in the use'). Additionally, there are issues with article usage, such as 'the plastic is non-biodegradable substance'. These errors are noticeable and occur frequently, though they do not prevent the reader from understanding the intended message.

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