Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-30

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 5.5)

In this contemporary world, the uses of plastic products such as bags, bottles and packaging are increasing and it has a detrimental effects on the environment. This would hinder the climate change and affect the soil fertility. The most viable solutions would be create awareness among the users and use eco-friendly alternative.

Excessive uses of plastics in daily life would mean that it would be effect badly on climate and decrease the fertility level of soil. This is because materials like plastic is very hard to recycle and it will sit in landfills as it is for decades or even centuries. As a result, it will emit the toxic gases such as methene that lead to a global warming around the world. Furthermore, microplastic lower the productivity of soil and result in decrease the production of goods. For instance, every year thousands of liters of plastic products such as bags, bottles and packages use by individuals and throw in landfills, thus this effects the environment badly.

One way to tackle these issues is to inform people about the detrimental effects of plastic on the environment. That is to say, government should impose a strict rules on uses of plastic and run campaign to aware residents about plastic is harmful substance for the society. As a result, supermarkets, restaurants and other business gradually replace the plastic with biodegradable alternatives. For example, in India with help of legal authorities by rules and regulation and such

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and suggesting solutions. However, the essay is under the 250-word minimum, which limits the depth of development. The final paragraph is incomplete, ending abruptly without finishing the example or providing a concluding summary. While the ideas are relevant, the lack of completion and the failure to meet the word count requirement significantly impact the overall task achievement. To improve, ensure all points are fully developed with complete sentences and provide a clear conclusion to wrap up the argument.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. There is a basic attempt to use cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore' and 'As a result'. However, the progression of ideas is hindered by the incomplete final paragraph. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the flow between sentences can feel mechanical. To reach a higher band, focus on using a wider variety of linking words and ensure that each paragraph has a clear, logical conclusion that connects back to the main thesis.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. You use some relevant terms like 'detrimental effects', 'eco-friendly', and 'biodegradable', which is positive. However, there are errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'hinder the climate change' (which should be 'exacerbate') and 'effect badly' (which should be 'have a bad effect'). The repetition of basic words like 'plastic' and 'environment' suggests a limited range. Expanding your vocabulary to include more academic collocations would improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Examples include 'the uses of plastic products... is increasing' (subject-verb agreement), 'it will be effect badly' (incorrect verb form), and 'government should impose a strict rules' (article usage). Punctuation is generally functional, but the incomplete sentence at the end of the essay is a significant error. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement, correct article usage, and ensuring that all sentences are grammatically complete.

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

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