Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-03

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)

For the last few decades, the use of things that are made up of plastic has become widespread worldwide. This has significantly damaged the environment. Governments and individuals should be responsible for addressing this issue. This essay will discuss the possible reason behind this issue with possible solutions in the further paragraphs.

Plastic materials such as bags, bottles, and plastic packaging have detrimental effects on the environment. It creates global warming effects in nature. Additionally, certain types of plastic waste make the ocean very dirty, and gradually it leads to the overall water pollution. For instance, according to a recent research study that has been performed by the lead researcher at the University of Toronto, more than 70% of environmental pollution occurred due to the water pollution. Especially plastic waste has the major factor for this pollution. Another significant impact of the plastic waste is not get decomposed easily, so it reduces the soil infertility.

There are various solutions available to overcome this type of damage. These solutions can be done by the governments and individuals. Some strict policy should be implemented by the governments. Individuals can run a campaign to overcome such a type of situation in the society. Some plastic recycling projects should be started by the governments. They should promote the lower use of the plastic material. Individuals should use alternative material instead of the plastic. For example, some eco-friendly materials have been promoted by the people to reduce the overuse of plastic things.

In conclusion, although plastic material creates lots of hazards to the environment, I firmly believe that it should be used in a controlled manner, or even should be replaced by some alternative material.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. For example, the explanation of how plastic causes global warming is vague, and the claim that 70% of pollution is caused by water pollution lacks a clear link to plastic specifically. While the position is clear, the arguments would benefit from more detailed elaboration and specific examples to reach a higher band. The conclusion is a bit brief and does not fully synthesize the points made in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a progression of ideas from the problem to the solutions. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent use of 'some' and 'these'. Referencing is generally clear, but the transition between sentences could be smoother to improve the flow. Paragraphing is used appropriately, and the overall structure is easy to follow, which meets the requirements for a band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to communicate their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'detrimental effects', 'decomposed', and 'eco-friendly'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'reduces the soil infertility' (which is logically confusing) and 'the major factor for this pollution'. The range is sufficient for the task but lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. Spelling is generally accurate throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there are some error-free sentences, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'is not get decomposed' (should be 'does not decompose easily') and 'some strict policy should be implemented' (should be 'strict policies'). Punctuation is generally correct, but the control over verb forms and article usage is inconsistent. These errors do not impede communication, but they demonstrate a limited control over complex structures, which is consistent with a band 6.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.