Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-02
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)
Nowadays, the increasing number of people are choosing to use plastic materials. This is serious and growing problem. Plastic bags, jars, wrappers and other materials are not good for the environment. There are so many reasons for this and some solutions which will be discussed in the following paragraph.
The first and foremost reason is increasing of disease. Using of plastic materials like plastic bottles, eating in plastic dishes. After the intake of those things in the stomach then it may lead to so many diseases like cancer or any other which can cause harm to every human being. Secondly, harmful for natural habitat, to explain in simple terms, It can harm animals and even plants. we throw plastic waste in the garbage and animals use to eat, it may lead to go into their stomach, whereas some individuals use to throw plastic waste outside on road or some areas. So it can harm the plants and trees if they get fertilised with the plastic.
On the other hand, the solutions are national authorities should have to ban plastic. For example, no use of plastic in any form, in stores, at home, everyone have to use paper or cloth bags; However, if anyone is using it, government have to put fine for them. Furthermore, Everyone have to use reusable bottles, plates and recycle one. Such as steel or glass plates correspondingly.
To conclude, Individuals have to understand of not use of plastic and use the reusable items or recycle things to save the environment and natural habitat. And Policy makers have to put some strict rules regarding this so that every individual will listen.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
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 ideas is somewhat limited. The discussion on health impacts is vague, and the explanation of how plastic harms habitats is repetitive and lacks specific examples or depth. While the position is clear, the arguments would benefit from more detailed elaboration and concrete evidence to reach a higher band. The solutions provided are relevant but remain somewhat simplistic in their presentation.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate, such as the awkward transition 'After the intake of those things in the stomach then it may lead to'. Referencing is sometimes unclear, and the flow between sentences is occasionally disjointed. While there is an overall progression, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the repetitive sentence structure hinder the logical flow of the argument.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision required for higher bands. There is a reliance on basic terms like 'bad', 'things', and 'harm'. Some word choices are unnatural, such as 'increasing of disease' instead of 'an increase in diseases' or 'get fertilised with the plastic'. While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of variety and occasional errors in word formation and collocation limit the score in this criterion.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures. There are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with article usage ('the increasing number of people'), subject-verb agreement ('everyone have to use'), and prepositional phrases. Complex structures are attempted but often contain errors, such as 'if anyone is using it, government have to put fine for them'. These errors are noticeable and occasionally cause the reader to pause, though they do not completely impede communication.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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