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)

Some items like bags, bottles and packaging materials made from a decompose material like plastic is a very harmful for the environment. Their composition time is much more higher than other materials like paper and wood and it can also spoil a drinking water if being thrown into river or sea. In order to solve this issue, the government should impose a strict rule to minimize use of plastic and the citizens should start using other materials which are not harmful to the environment.

First of all, a plastic is a material which cannot dissolve into water and cannot create fossil fuels when being processed after use. The bottles, bags and other materials made form a plastic are often found in the sea, the air and the land. The plastic particles in sea can make drinking water full with small plastic atoms. Same particles in the air, while breathing can reach inside a body and can cause diseases. The animals are likely to eat plastic in order to search for their food. Reports have shown that such plastic materials are main reason for death of many animals.

To minimize this impact on environment, the government and the people of the country should start using daily items like bags, bottles and packaging materials made from paper or cardboards. As they are biodegradable and can be recycled easily compared to plastic. The government should impose a law to close factories which produces plastic materials and instead should indicate to make such essential items from other sustainable materials. Some studies have proven that such environment friendly materials is able to minimize the effect of getting health diseases.

In conclusion, while material like a plastic is very dangerous for some species in sea, for people on land and also for the air. The best way to minimize the affect is to create some laws to undercut the use of plastic and start the use of other materials.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For example, the explanation of how plastic affects the air and human health is vague, and the suggestion to 'close factories' is an over-generalisation that lacks nuance. While the position is clear, the arguments would benefit from more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. The response covers the requirements but remains at a basic level of argumentation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a basic attempt at using cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'In order to', and 'In conclusion'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the use of referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as in the final paragraph where the connection between the conclusion and the preceding arguments feels slightly disjointed. Paragraphing is used appropriately, but the transitions could be more sophisticated to improve the overall progression of ideas.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks range and precision. There are several instances of awkward phrasing and word choice errors, such as 'decompose material' instead of 'non-biodegradable', 'much more higher' (a grammatical error affecting lexical accuracy), and 'spoil a drinking water'. The student relies on basic vocabulary and struggles with collocations. To improve, the student should focus on using more precise terminology related to environmental science and avoid repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'a very harmful' (incorrect article usage), 'composition time is much more higher' (incorrect comparative structure), and 'material like a plastic' (unnecessary article). Subject-verb agreement is also inconsistent, such as 'such environment friendly materials is able'. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band.

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