Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-26

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)

Nowadays, our environment has been constantly polluted by indiscriminate dumping of plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic packaging products. In this essay, I will highlight the damages caused by plastics to the environment and provide solutions to remedy the situation.

On the one hand, plastics damage the environment if not disposed properly because they do not decay. The government must take the issue of sanitation seriously. It must provide waste management systems to ensure that people in the city have enough waste disposal sites. She must ensure there are laws and policies in place to bring to book those that breach the law on waste management. For instance, governments must encourage private sector investments for the recycling of plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic packaging items.

On the other hand, individuals must pay the required money to enable the government to carry out its responsibilities as it pertains to waste management. Every person must learn how to keep his or her environment clean. Parents must discourage their children from dumping waste in the river to avoid putting the ocean life at risk. There should be reward by organized neighborhoods for those who keep their environment clean.

In addition, both governments and wealthy individuals should support environmental activist and non-governmental organizations in their locality to ensure that the environment and the ecosystem is maintained.

In conclusion, everyone has role to play especially governments and individuals to ensure that the plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic packaging items does not damage the environment. It must be a continuous and well-calculated effort to achieve the desired results. All hands must be on the deck.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The essay addresses both parts of the prompt: the environmental damage caused by plastic and potential solutions. However, the development is somewhat superficial. While you mention that plastics 'do not decay,' you do not elaborate on the specific environmental consequences, such as microplastic contamination or the impact on marine food chains. Similarly, the solutions are somewhat generic. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or deeper analysis of how these solutions would function in practice. The position is clear, but the supporting arguments lack the depth required for a higher score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand,' 'On the other hand,' and 'In addition' to signal transitions. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical. For instance, the transition between the government's role and the recycling suggestion in the second paragraph is slightly abrupt. Additionally, the use of referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as the sudden use of 'She' to refer to the government, which is grammatically awkward. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely heavily on repeating the phrase 'plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic packaging' throughout the text, which makes the writing feel repetitive. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'indiscriminate dumping' and 'bring to book,' but these are offset by simple phrasing. To improve, you should use synonyms or collective nouns like 'single-use plastics' or 'synthetic waste' to avoid repetition and demonstrate a more sophisticated range of vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors that persist. For example, 'everyone has role to play' is missing an article, and 'the environment and the ecosystem is maintained' contains a subject-verb agreement error (should be 'are'). The phrase 'plastic bags... does not damage' also has a subject-verb agreement error. These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band score. Focus on proofreading for articles and subject-verb agreement.

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

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