Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)

It is irrefutable that plastic produts cause several environmental problems such as polluting air and soil and exposing risks for animals. However, these problems can be mitigated with the collective efforts of the government and the general public.

There are various reasons why plastic is harmful for the ecosystem. The major one is that plastic bags, plastic packaging and bottles can not be disposed off easily. If these are burnt, the emission of harmful gases pollute the air. However, in case of burial in the soil, the hazardous chemicals of plastic deteriorates the fertility of soil in long-run. Moreover, if plastic is thrown with other garbage, there are chances that stray animals could consume it which could be dangerous for their life. Since animals could not digest the polythene or other plastic items, it may lead to fatal accidents.

Some courses of action could be taken to alleviate this problem. The most effective solution is to ban the plastic usage completely. When the plastic products will not be available in market, the usage of these items would be reduced. The higher authorities should implement stringent rules against the usage and disposal of plastic items. For instance, heavy fines should be imposed on businesses if they use plastic packaging for their products. Furthermore, Individuals should change their daily habits in order to reduce their dependency on these products. For instance, they should carry the resuable bags, and their own water bottles so that they can avoid buying productsthat are made from plastic. Therefore, small changes in the daily habits can be quite helpful for conserving the nature.

In conclusion, although using plastic leads to numerous ecological issues, these can be addressed by replacing plastic with environmental-friendly products in daily life and taking legal actions against law-abiding people in order to safeguard the environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. The position is clear throughout. The ideas are relevant, though some development is slightly superficial. For example, the suggestion to 'ban the plastic usage completely' is a strong idea, but it lacks nuance regarding the practical challenges of such a policy. The points regarding soil fertility and animal ingestion are well-chosen and directly answer the 'what damage' component. To reach a higher band, ensure that the proposed solutions are explored with more depth, perhaps by discussing the feasibility or potential counter-arguments to the suggested government actions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, which aids readability. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'For instance', and 'Furthermore' are used effectively to link ideas. However, there are minor issues with mechanical cohesion; for example, the transition 'However' in the second paragraph is used twice in close proximity, which feels slightly repetitive. Additionally, the final sentence of the conclusion contains a logical error where you mention 'law-abiding people' instead of 'law-breaking' or 'polluting' entities, which slightly disrupts the flow of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally appropriate and sufficient for the task. You demonstrate the ability to use topic-specific terms like 'mitigated', 'emission', 'hazardous', and 'stringent'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'disposed off' (should be 'disposed of') and 'conserving the nature' (should be 'conserving nature'). While you attempt to use a range of vocabulary, some phrases are slightly simplistic. To improve, focus on more precise collocations and ensure that word forms are used accurately in context to demonstrate a more sophisticated command of the language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. There are several grammatical slips, such as 'Since animals could not digest' (should be 'cannot' for a general truth) and 'the usage of these items would be reduced' (the conditional 'would' is slightly awkward here). Additionally, there are minor errors with articles and pluralization, such as 'in market' (should be 'in the market') and 'the resuable bags'. Despite these errors, the meaning is always clear, and the grammar does not impede communication. Increasing the variety of complex structures and proofreading for minor tense consistency would help elevate your score.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.