Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

Several types of plastic products such as shopping bags, plastic bottles and food packaging, all these items are integral part of our daily lifestyle. However, their widespread use has caused considerable environmental damage. This easy will discuss the main problems associated with the plastic waste and suggest measures that governments and individuals can take to deal with this issue.

To begin with, the main effects of plastic waste are polluting the lands and sea life, because it take millions years to decompose as compared to organic products. In other words, it disturbs the wildlife on ground and even under the sea, animals accidentally eat plastic products which can cause the injuries or deaths. For instance, in pacific ocean, every year 70,000 marine wildlife animals dies, the most effected marine creature such as turtles and dolphins. Hence, eco-chain can be effected with the mass rate of deaths of different animals.

However, government should play a significant role to protect the environment from plastic waste by imposing additional taxation on plastic products or plastic packaging. Furthermore, the introduction of recycling vending machines can be fruitful step to attract people in exchange of money. Last but not the least, individuals should use green products rather than plastic items, people need to run campaigns on environmental awearness, in which people can get information to find alternative things to avoid plastic goods.

All in all, plastic waste can be harmful for wildlife, habitats, and human civilization, it can lead to several internal injuries and deaths. Nevertheless, the effect of this can be minimize with the aid of joint contribution of higher authorities and individuals, by using recycle products and government should list plastic products on higher prices.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the environmental damage caused by plastic and potential solutions from governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant, such as the impact on marine life and the suggestion of taxation and recycling. However, the development is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation of how plastic affects the 'eco-chain' is brief, and the solutions could be more thoroughly explored with specific examples. While the position is clear, the essay would benefit from more depth in the analysis of the environmental consequences to reach a higher band.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. There is a clear introduction and conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'To begin with', 'In other words', and 'Furthermore' are used to link ideas. However, there are instances where the flow is slightly mechanical, and some referencing is a bit repetitive. The transition between the problem and the solution is clear, but the internal structure of the paragraphs could be improved by ensuring that each supporting sentence flows more naturally from the previous one.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'integral part', 'decompose', and 'fruitful step'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'mass rate of deaths' and 'list plastic products on higher prices'. Spelling errors like 'awearness' and 'effected' (used instead of 'affected') also occur. To improve, the student should focus on more precise collocations and ensure correct word forms are used.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement ('animals... dies', 'government should list... on higher prices') and article usage. There are also some run-on sentences and punctuation issues, such as the comma splice in the final paragraph. While the student attempts complex structures, the frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence boundary control and subject-verb consistency would be highly beneficial.

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