Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-27

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 items such as bags, bottles and packaging materials are harmful for the environment. This is because, plastic items are non-recyclable which cause clogging in the drainage system. Also, upon burning leaves harmful gases into the environment. However, to resolve this serious concern the government can restricts plastic manufacturing and impose fines to the violators. Furthermore, the government can launch jute bags as replacement for plastic bags.

To begin with, one of the major problems with plastic bags is that they are non-recyclable. Whenever, someone throws a plastic bag into the drainage system, it tends to cause blockage in the drainage system and stays there for years. Therefore, due to blockage water tends to leak and cause hygiene issues around the streets. Additionally, when plastic is burnt, it emits harmful gases into the environment. For example, In some countries people burn accumulated plastic items which results in emitting harmful gases and people may fall ill when they inhale these gases.

Therefore, the government can take some strict actions for the plastic usage. Firstly, there should be a complete ban on plastic. The authority should locate the plastic manufacturing industries and put total restriction on its manufacturing. Moreover, the violators should be finned. Secondly, There should be a substitute to the plastic, such as jute bags. Jute bags are completely sustainable and can be used while shopping. For example, the stores should provide jute bags to the buyers if they buy something.

In conclusion, although plastic use has become a serious problem nowadays. Its non-recycling property and harmful gases on burning directly cause pollution to the environment. Some actions from the authorities such as imposing fine to the violators and launching jute bags for carrying items can bring a significant change.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage caused by plastic and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant and clearly presented. However, the development is somewhat limited; for instance, the suggestion for individuals is brief and could be expanded with more specific actions beyond just using jute bags. The position is clear throughout, and the structure follows a logical path. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is supported with more depth and perhaps a broader range of examples to fully explore the implications of the proposed solutions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the two main questions of the prompt. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the repetitive use of 'the drainage system' in the second paragraph. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, and the essay is easy to follow.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There is some attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'non-recyclable', 'sustainable', and 'manufacturing industries'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are occasional errors in word choice and form, such as 'finned' instead of 'fined' and 'restricts' instead of 'restrict'. To improve, the writer should focus on using more precise collocations and a wider variety of synonyms to avoid repetition of basic terms like 'plastic items' and 'harmful gases'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('the government can restricts') and punctuation errors (e.g., unnecessary commas after 'Whenever' and 'For example'). Some sentences are slightly awkward in construction, which occasionally affects the fluency of the writing. To achieve a higher score, the writer needs to demonstrate better control over complex sentence forms and ensure that basic grammatical rules, particularly regarding verb forms and punctuation, are applied consistently.

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

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