Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-11

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)

In past few decades, plastics considered as major problem in terms of pollution. There are significant drawbacks. but government should take essential steps to stop this damages.

To begin with, there are vivid products are made from plastics, such as plastics bottles, bags, packaging of food due to immense usage cause negatively to the environment. Firstly, tiny particles of plaything goes to river and throughout ocean which major damage to the marine life. Also, burning plastics leave harmful chemicals into the atmospheres like carbon monoxide, which leads to the air pollution. additionally, it brings certain disease for human like asthma and it also damage earth ozone layers which cause extremely heat.

On the other hand, plastics negatively cause earth and humans as well as animals. to take control on it government should impose strict rules against burning plastics. Furthermore, recycling enough amounts of plastics and spread information for awareness among the people. In addition, they should introduce alter way of plastics. for example, in India people use Cooper bottle and wooden bottle also instead os use the plastics bags use the clothing bags. In this circumstance, plastic use will minimizes and people will find a good alternate option of plastics. there are numerous disadvantages of plastic government should put high tex on the company products also focus mainly to recycle all the plastics and reuse of it.

In conclusion, government should encourage the people with their funding and schemes this steps motivate them for new innovation. people also mandatory to stop or control to consumption of plastics.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the environmental damage caused by plastic and potential solutions from governments and individuals. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, while you mention marine life and air pollution, these points are not fully extended with specific examples or logical depth. The position is clear, but the explanation of how government policies (like taxation) or individual actions (like using cloth bags) would specifically mitigate the problem lacks sufficient detail. To improve, ensure each main idea is supported by a clear explanation and a concrete example to demonstrate a more thorough understanding of the topic.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical or inaccurate. For example, 'In this circumstance' is used incorrectly to transition between ideas, and 'In addition' is used repetitively. Some sentences lack logical flow, such as the transition between the mention of burning plastic and the impact on the ozone layer. While there is an overall progression, the links between sentences are sometimes weak, and the referencing (e.g., 'it' referring back to previous nouns) is occasionally ambiguous. Improving the variety and precision of linking words will help the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. You use basic terms like 'bad', 'major problem', and 'good alternate option'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'plaything goes to river' (likely meaning 'plastic waste') and 'Cooper bottle' (likely meaning 'copper'). While the meaning is generally clear, the lack of sophisticated or topic-specific vocabulary limits the score. To improve, focus on learning collocations related to environmental issues, such as 'non-biodegradable waste', 'sustainable alternatives', or 'carbon emissions'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('plastics considered as', 'it also damage'), missing articles ('in past few decades'), and incorrect word forms ('plastic use will minimizes'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with several run-on sentences and missing commas. While you attempt complex structures, the high frequency of errors in basic grammar prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic errors like pluralisation and verb tense consistency.

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

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