Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-31

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)

Bags, bottles and packing materials which made of plastic are crucial to environment. Plastic is not natural martial, and it is not also biodegradable and not easily dissolved in soil. i.t release harmful polichemicals which hurt our environment in different manners. With the help of individual government solve this problem defiantly.

As we all know that plastic bags are not dispose of naturally, it never dissolves itself in soil and make soil better as other materials like paper bags. Same plastic packaging we use all day in our daily life, but its waste is not sort out properly and little from its are recycle other are go for land fillings which is major reason for harmful chemical release in air and make our air pollute. Plastic bottles are sometime recycled and reused but after recycling again and again make it more unconvinced because it is a high chance to add more harmful particles in it and which is bad for our health.

Government and individuals both do some efforts to solve these problems.as an individual we reduce the use of plastics and if need to arise to use plastics then its necceary to reuse it. Moreover, we also help government by putting right plastics waste in right dustbins. Government also run some awareness seminar, so more people know about disaster arise from these types of plastics and propre guidance is available to sort out the plastics.

In conclusion to these plastics is danger for our future environment and it is not just government responsibility to handle this we all do equal work to handle this properly, so our environment becomes safe.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the environmental damage caused by plastic and potential solutions. However, the development of these ideas is limited. For example, the explanation of how plastic affects the soil and air is somewhat repetitive and lacks depth. The suggestions for solutions are also quite general, such as 'reduce the use of plastics' and 'putting right plastics waste in right dustbins'. To achieve a higher band, you should provide more specific examples or elaborate on the consequences and the effectiveness of the proposed solutions to ensure the response is fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For instance, the transition 'In conclusion to these plastics is danger' is grammatically awkward and does not effectively signal the end of the essay. Additionally, the flow between sentences is sometimes disjointed, such as the sudden shift from discussing recycling to health concerns in the second paragraph. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words would significantly enhance the logical progression of your arguments.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks precision and variety. There are several instances of word-choice errors, such as 'not natural martial' (material), 'polichemicals' (chemicals/pollutants), and 'unconvinced' (inconvenient/unsafe). The range of vocabulary is limited, and you rely on basic terms throughout the response. To improve, you should focus on using more precise terminology related to environmental issues and ensure that words are used in their correct context to avoid confusion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede communication. There are issues with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'Government and individuals both do some efforts'), missing articles, and incorrect sentence structures (e.g., 'little from its are recycle other are go for land fillings'). While you attempt some complex sentences, they are often faulty, leading to a lack of clarity. You should focus on mastering basic sentence construction, particularly verb tenses and pluralisation, before attempting more complex structures.

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

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