Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-08

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)

Indubitably, use of plastic in every sector has been surging from few decades. Despite the fact, plastic is bad for atmosphere still companies produce various things using plastic and people promoting its usage while purchasing such things. There are myriad reasons how plastic is ruining environment and some solutions can be taken to mitigate this problem

The primary negative effect of plastic on environment is creating pollution, To explain, as plastic does not decompose by itself it leads to accumulate waste in dump yards. And, when people burn plastic it releases a toxic chemical fume creating not only a bad odor, but also creates air pollution. Another striking effect is using plastic material leads to deterioration of human health. To elaborate, humans use different things made from plastic even though they know how plastic contains toxic substances which on consumption lead to serious medical emergencies. For example, masses purchase plastic bottles instead of steel just because plastic bottles look quite attracting with different colors even when they see advertisements of not to use plastic and result of which they have asthma, cancer problems at high rates.

Nevertheless, the various inherited solutions for this issue can be that authorities should ban companies who use plastic or manufacture plastic bags, bottles or packaging. Not only, banning plastic industries but also shops who sell and promote plastic shopping bags should be imposed with strict legal penalties. Moreover, individuals should become responsible, while avoiding to buy anything made from plastic. For instance, people should promote cloth or paper bags while going to shopping, steel bottles and paper packaging should be priortized otherwise they should not buy the products. Consequently, these small steps can assist in achieving higher results.

In conclusion, no doubt plastic is being used at larger scale these days leading to detrimental effects on environment, but viable steps taken by government and individuals could lead to significant results.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage caused by plastic and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant, though the development is somewhat uneven. For instance, the link between plastic consumption and specific health issues like asthma is asserted rather than explained with scientific clarity. While the position is clear, the arguments could be more nuanced to reach a higher band. The structure is logical, and the response successfully covers the requirements of the task by providing reasons and examples, such as the mention of steel bottles and cloth bags.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central topic. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'The primary negative effect', 'Nevertheless', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'Not only, banning plastic industries but also shops... should be imposed'. Additionally, there are instances where the flow is interrupted by minor punctuation errors, such as the comma splice in 'creating pollution, To explain'. Despite these issues, the progression of ideas is logical and easy to follow throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, with some attempts at more sophisticated language like 'mitigate', 'deterioration', and 'detrimental'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'people promoting its usage' instead of 'encouraging', and 'look quite attracting' instead of 'attractive'. The phrase 'inherited solutions' is also used incorrectly in this context. While the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, the lack of precision and occasional misuse of words prevent the response from reaching a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow, such as 'use of plastic in every sector has been surging from few decades' (missing articles) and 'result of which they have asthma' (awkward phrasing). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage and sentence boundaries. While the meaning remains clear, the frequency of errors in basic grammar—such as subject-verb agreement and article usage—limits the score. To improve, focus on proofreading for these recurring minor errors.

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