Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

In this contemporary era, it is observed that growing economy is also inviting enormous life threatening problems . Such as, products made from plastic is destroying the environment and ecosystems significantly. These problems can be cured by the governments and legal authorities by taking the following simple but effective measures.

There are plenty of hurdles which are arising due to this. Firstly, plastic can take upto hundreds of years to decompose which can play a signiificant role in increasing soil pollution. For instance, a study conducted by Newyork Times revealed that 43% of total plastic products are non-biodegradable and cannot be decomposed fully. Moreover, enormous diseases are being encountered due to poor quality packaging of plastic products, Scientists have discovered that there are micro plastic substances which can get dissovled in food items and can cause cancer and other numerous diseases.

First and the foremost solution can be replacing plastic packaging with paper. Though it sounds so simple but the future results of this approach can be increadicle this will not only provide aid in eliminating blockage of drains but also protects health risks to the stray animals who are mainly dependent on the pile of a garbage. Although consuming paper is still harmful for vegetation but comparatively less than plastic. Apart from this, packaging industries can be influensed to switch to ecofriendly products by offering subsidies, cutting taxations and providing grants which can act as a motivation for other non-participating factories as well. What is more, folks can simply avoid purchasing plastic bags, bottles and products.

In conclusion, it cannot be neglected that plastic products have altrered human life and other vegetation negatively. The impact of this is not only influencing envionment but oceans as well. In order to eliminate this problem combined efforts of individuals and government will be highly recommended.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damage and suggesting solutions for both governments and individuals. The ideas are relevant and generally well-developed. However, the development is somewhat uneven; for instance, the explanation of microplastics is a strong point, but the suggestion to replace plastic with paper is slightly oversimplified, as the environmental impact of paper production is significant. The position is clear throughout, and the essay maintains a consistent focus on the topic. To reach a higher band, ensure that arguments are supported with more nuanced reasoning, particularly when addressing the complexities of environmental solutions.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the problem from the solutions. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', 'Apart from this', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as the vague use of 'this' in 'the future results of this approach can be increadicle this will not only...'. Improving the flow between sentences would enhance the overall coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The range of vocabulary is adequate for the task, with some attempts at less common items like 'non-biodegradable', 'subsidies', and 'ecofriendly'. However, there are several spelling errors, such as 'Newyork', 'signiificant', 'dissovled', 'increadicle', 'influensed', 'altrered', and 'envionment'. These errors are frequent enough to be noticeable, although they do not impede communication. To improve, focus on accuracy in spelling and word choice, and try to incorporate more precise collocations to demonstrate a wider, more flexible range of vocabulary.

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 frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('products made from plastic is destroying') and punctuation errors (comma splices and missing articles). For example, 'Such as, products made from plastic is destroying...' is a sentence fragment. While the writer attempts complex structures, the control is inconsistent. Increasing the number of error-free sentences and refining punctuation usage will be essential to achieving a higher band score in this criterion.

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