Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-06

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)

Nowadays, plastic pollution is one of the most critical environmental challenges of our time. Products like plastic bags, bottles and packaging are dangerous for ecosystem. This essay will discuss what damages plastic does to environment and what can be done by government and youth to reduce this issue.

To commence, with damages, plastics take hundreds of years to decompose. It harms animals and humans also. Sometimes, sea animals like turtles swallow plastic bag for jellyfish, cows swallows plastic bags in search of food, and it harms their body because animals do not know how to take it out. In addition producing and burning plastic releases harmful substance and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. For example, plastic bags are used for only few minutes but can remain in the environment for decades.

Government can play vital role in tackling this problem. They should increase strict regulations on single-use plastic products and encourage businesses to use reusable or environmental friendly alternatives. For instance, they should charge customer for plastic bags or they should ban usage of plastic bags. Not only government is responsible for this but individuals also can reduce using products made from plastic. They can start using reusable bags and bottles, avoid excessive packaging and reuse plastic items whenever possible.

To conclude, plastic pollution damages wild life, water source, while its production and disposal can also contribute to climate change. Government should introduce effective rules and regulations to address this issue, while individual should reduce usage of plastic products and start using reusable or recycling products.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and proposing solutions for both governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant, such as the impact on marine life and the role of government regulations. However, the development is somewhat limited; for instance, the explanation of how plastic harms animals could be more detailed, and the solutions are presented in a fairly generic manner. To reach a higher band, you should expand on your examples with more specific evidence or deeper analysis of the consequences and the effectiveness of the proposed solutions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To commence', 'In addition', and 'For instance', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel a bit mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the slightly awkward phrasing in 'To commence, with damages'. Overall, the progression of ideas is clear, and the paragraphing is appropriate for the task.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'decompose', 'greenhouse gas emissions', and 'regulations'. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'harmful substance' (should be plural) and 'environmental friendly' (should be 'environmentally friendly'). While you attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary, the range is somewhat limited, and there is occasional repetition of basic words. To improve, try to incorporate more precise collocations and a wider variety of synonyms to express your ideas with greater sophistication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as 'cows swallows' (subject-verb agreement), 'harmful substance' (pluralization), and missing articles (e.g., 'the government', 'the environment'). These errors do not impede communication, but they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. To improve, focus on proofreading for subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles, and try to incorporate more varied complex sentence structures with greater accuracy.

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