Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Plastic products such as bags, bottles and packaging are detrimental for the environment. This essay will discuss the damages caused by plastics such as blocking of drainage system and reducing the number of stray animals along with the necessary measures to solve this problem.

To begin with, there are several plastics products such as empty water bottles and bags thrown over roads. The pressure of wind pushes them into drains and leads to water blocking. As a result, dirty water spills over roads and increases the growth of germs and mosquitos. Thus, it creates an unhealthy surroundings. Moreover, animals keep on wandering empty places and swallow these non-recyclable products, which leads to choking and their death.

Despite plastics had made our lives easier, individuals and government should take necessary steps to minimize its use. Firstly, government should make strict policies such as banning of plastic bags and impose heavy fine on the one violating these rules. To illustrate, Canada has strictly banned the production and usage of plastic bags and implemented strict rules to sell paper and recyclable bags for all the shops. Secondly, individuals should learn about the disadvantages of plastic material and take an opportunity to raise campaigns educating the residents about it. This will increase awareness among the society. For instance, there is party named Swatch Bharat cleaning the several areas filled with plastic bags and bottles such as beaches in Mumbai. Thus, it is setting an example for the visitors to not throw those products here and minimize its use.

In conclusion, non-recyclable products are serious hazard for the environment as it leads to unhealthy atmosphere and poses health issues to animals. Thus, individuals should be more responsible for eradicating this issue by sincerely following the laws enforced by government officials.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage (drainage issues, harm to animals) and proposing solutions (government policies, individual awareness). The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed. However, the development of the 'individual' solution is slightly weaker than the government section, and the essay could benefit from more nuanced exploration of the environmental impact beyond immediate physical hazards. The position is clear throughout, and the structure is appropriate for the task. To reach a higher band, ensure that the arguments are balanced in depth and that the examples provided are fully integrated into the logical flow of the essay.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the problem from the solutions. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'Moreover', 'Despite', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, there are some instances where the flow feels slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally imprecise, such as the transition between the impact on animals and the government's role. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task. You use some topic-specific terms like 'non-recyclable', 'detrimental', and 'eradicating'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'blocking of drainage system' (should be 'clogging' or 'blockage of drainage systems') and 'wandering empty places' (which is slightly unnatural). There is also a minor error in 'unhealthy surroundings' (surroundings is plural). To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and a wider range of academic vocabulary to express complex ideas more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are recurring grammatical errors that prevent a higher score. Examples include: 'Despite plastics had made' (should be 'Despite the fact that plastics have made' or 'Although plastics have made'), 'impose heavy fine' (should be 'impose heavy fines'), and 'there is party named Swatch Bharat' (should be 'there is a campaign named Swachh Bharat'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are minor errors in article usage and pluralization. Increasing the frequency of error-free complex sentences will help improve this score.

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