Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-01

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 pollution has become a serious environmental issue worldwide. Plastic bags, bottles, and packaging are widely used and contribute to this environmental issue, including by damaging ecosystems. Both authorities and people can solve this problem by taking stringent steps.

To begin with, there are many problems that can be created by plastic. One major impact is that it takes hundreds of years to decompose. As a result, it can end up in landfills, dumped in rivers or dumped in oceans and can spoil land and rivers, which can be harmful to wildlife or any marine animals. For instance, if fish eat that plastic or get trapped inside, they can be injured or die. In addition, small pieces of plastic known as microplastics can enter rivers and seas and eventually become part of the food chain.

To solve this problem, the government should take stringent steps to mitigate it, such as implementing heavy taxes and spreading awareness regarding recycling of plastic. To elaborate, authorities should charge to bussinessess by producing excessive production of plastic, give them fines and impose taxes by selling of it. Apart from this, encouraging awareness campaigns can educate people regarding recycling of plastic and environmental safety; consequently, the security of future generations.

Individuals also contribute to solving this by reducing the use of plastic. People can use reusable bags and bottles instead of disposable products. Citizens should also throw their garbage wisely; such small things can make a big difference.

In conclusion, plastic can cause serious pollution and harm wildlife. Therefore, the government should make stricter rules and spread awareness regarding recycling, whereas individuals should also reduce their use of it. Working together, they can mitigate this problem.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying the environmental damage caused by plastic and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant and clearly presented. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat basic. For example, the suggestion for government action mentions 'heavy taxes' and 'fines' but lacks specific detail on how these would be implemented or their expected impact. Similarly, the individual actions are somewhat generic. To reach a higher band, you should aim to extend your arguments with more specific examples or deeper analysis of the consequences of your proposed solutions, rather than listing them briefly.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. You use a range of cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'In addition', 'Apart from this', and 'consequently'. While these are effective, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive in their structure. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the referencing is generally clear, although the connection between the government's role in 'security of future generations' and the previous sentence is slightly abrupt. Overall, the structure is coherent and supports the flow of the argument well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'decompose', 'microplastics', 'mitigate', and 'disposable'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'charge to bussinessess by producing excessive production' and 'selling of it', which are slightly awkward. Spelling is generally accurate, though 'bussinessess' contains an error. The vocabulary is sufficient to convey your meaning clearly, but to achieve a higher band, you should focus on using less common lexical items with more precision and ensuring that collocations sound natural to a native speaker.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you successfully use complex sentences, such as 'If fish eat that plastic or get trapped inside, they can be injured or die', there are several grammatical errors. For instance, 'charge to bussinessess by producing excessive production' is syntactically confusing, and 'regarding recycling of plastic' would be better as 'regarding the recycling of plastic'. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are occasional slips. The errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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