Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-13

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)

This is an interesting topic which is being discussed all around the world. Plastic in any form such as plastic bags, plastic bottles, and packaging is a serious threat to the environment. In this essay, I will try to provide more details on the damage that can be done by plastics and the suggestions that individuals and governments must follow to solve this issue.

Firstly, plastic is considered as a non-biodegradable material, which means it cannot be destructed naturally. Since, it is cheap and can be easily manufactured, people tends to use it for creating products of all forms. Moreover, it varies from a small plastic paper clip to plastic bottles, and even plastic toys of different sizes. Humans are using plastics to make anything and everything without giving any single though to the utmost damage it can cause to the environment. Furthermore, a recent research highlighted that plastics when buried inside the soil, has the potential to consume the fertility, and make it barren. I can relate to this as the plastics being dumped near my backyard, which used to bear a small garden, does not have any flowers left. This is so disappointing. In addition to this, many people burn the plastic wastes, which release excess of Co2 (Carbon dioxide). Co2 is harmful to humans and the environment. Plastics are also a threat to marine lives. Some industries dump their plastic waste into the water bodies, which pollutes the water and leads to several water-borne diseases, and eventually may impact the aquatic animals.

Therefore, I am inclined to believe that plastics are a serious threats and we should try to solve this problem as early as we can. Its not only government's responsibility but also require individual ownership. We must completely stop the usage of plastic products, and governments must impose a ban on sell or purchase of plastic materials or goods. There must be a team to monitor that plastic wastes are being collected efficiently and recycled so that it cannot lead to soil erosion or threat to marine lives.

To conclude, plastics may be used widely due to its low cost but we should think about the future and sustainability of the environment. We must think about the future of our upcoming generations and what environment we are offering to them as a legacy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task well. The candidate clearly identifies multiple types of damage caused by plastics to the environment, such as soil degradation, carbon emissions from burning, and threats to marine life. Furthermore, solutions involving both individual and governmental actions are provided, such as complete bans and recycling programs. Ideas are generally well-supported and extended, including a relevant personal anecdote about a backyard garden. However, there is a slight tendency to over-generalise in parts, such as suggesting we must 'completely stop the usage of plastic products,' which prevents the score from reaching a higher band. Overall, the position is clear throughout and all prompt requirements are successfully covered.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Information and ideas are structured into appropriate paragraphs, moving from an introduction to body paragraphs discussing environmental damage and solutions, and concluding with a summary. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly,' 'Moreover,' 'Furthermore,' and 'In addition to this' are used to connect ideas, although they occasionally feel slightly mechanical. Paragraphing is used effectively, ensuring that each major point is handled in a distinct block of text. Referencing is generally clear, contributing to an easy flow of reading from start to finish.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The writer demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task with some flexibility and precision, using less common items such as 'non-biodegradable material,' 'fertility,' and 'sustainability.' There are, however, some noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'consume the fertility' instead of 'deplete soil fertility,' 'plastic paper clip,' and 'serious threats' where the singular 'threat' or 'serious threat' is required. Spelling and word formation are generally accurate, and these minor lexical slips do not impede communication, placing the response comfortably within the Band 6.5 to 7.0 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay incorporates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating control over relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are several persistent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('people tends to use', 'plastics when buried... has the potential', 'plastics are a serious threats'), punctuation and apostrophe errors ('government's responsibility', 'Its not only'), and minor prepositional or article slips ('a recent research'). While these errors do not impede overall communication, they occur with enough frequency to prevent the essay from achieving a Band 7.

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