Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-29

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)

It is true that the use of plastic is increasing globally and it has numerous negative effects on the environment. This essay will discuss how the usage of plastic products such as bottles and bags is affecting the nature and how this issue can be overcome by the combined efforts of the people and the official authorities.

Plastic used in making bags, bottles, and other products has some drawbacks. First of all, excessive use of plastic is affecting the nature and causing pollution. Plastic bottles and bags can be seen normally in the water bodies. Recent studies show the amount of plastic waste is increasing significantly in the oceans. The amount of chemicals used in the process of manufacturing of these products cause health related issues to the animals living in water. Therefore, it is a disaster for an aquatic life. Secondly, plastic is non-biodegradable, it takes several years for it to decompose. Consequently, It affects the quality of the soil which hinders the growth of plants and crops.

However, this issue can be mitigated by taking strict actions especially, by the governments. Primarily, government should impose high taxes on plastic manufacturing companies. This may lead them to produce less plastic products. The other reason is social awareness, people should be encouraged to take part in the community gatherings which can discuss the drawbacks of the plastic usage in the society. For instance, cities can arrange the fairs to discuss the negative impact of the excessive of these products.

Overall, although excessive use of plastic products is increasing which is affecting the fertility of the soil and aquatic animals, social awareness among the individuals could help in using plastic in less.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant, though some development is slightly superficial. For instance, while you mention that plastic affects soil fertility, this point could be expanded with more specific detail on how microplastics disrupt ecosystems. The solutions provided, such as taxation and social awareness, are logical and directly answer the prompt. To reach a higher band, ensure that your arguments are fully extended with more concrete examples or deeper analysis of the consequences and effectiveness of the proposed solutions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'Consequently', and 'However' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally repetitive. For example, the phrase 'the amount of' is used twice in close proximity, and the connection between sentences in the second paragraph could be smoother. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the problem from the solutions, which helps the overall flow of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'non-biodegradable', 'mitigated', and 'fertility'. However, there are some instances of imprecise word choice and minor collocation errors, such as 'affecting the nature' (should be 'the environment') and 'using plastic in less' (should be 'using less plastic'). To improve, try to incorporate more sophisticated collocations and avoid repeating basic words like 'plastic' or 'products' too frequently. Expanding your vocabulary to include more precise academic terminology would help elevate your score.

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 several grammatical slips, such as 'the amount of chemicals... cause' (subject-verb agreement error, should be 'causes') and 'excessive of these products' (missing noun, should be 'excessive use'). Additionally, there are minor punctuation issues, such as the comma splice in 'plastic is non-biodegradable, it takes several years'. To achieve a higher band, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and refining your use of complex sentence structures to ensure they are error-free.

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.