Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-16
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)
It is undeniable fact that, plastic usage has boomed in last few decades. Like plastic bag, cans and bottles which are not freindly to environment. I shall discuss how it is affecting the surroundings and how the rule makers can come up with the problem.
As we all know, nowadays plastic is being used in each and every item you see in the dailylife. Talking from food containers, shooping bags, water bottles and much more. But as we all know that plastic is indecomposable material so therefore, it does not decompose when it burried under the land or thrown in public place. It`s remain in the same form even after many years, which causes many issues regarding the land fertility.
Secondly, When the plastic is burned for recycle use they releases harmful toxic gases in the environment that can cause air pollution and leads to diseases like asthma, lung cancer. From the study of gases emitted by the plastic after burn by researchers, it proved that it contains few particles that can lead to such type of diseases to humans.
Every problem has its solution and to come up with this issue, the government need to make some new and strick laws for general public and business. People should throw plastic waste in the nearby dustbins. If anyone is seen throwing it public, they should pay penalty. Which can teach lesson to others. Businesses should shift to composable matrials for packaging, bottles and shopping or foods bags. Moreover the government can run green campaign to aware the local public about environment issues cause by the plastic usage.
To conclude, plastic is indecomposable and release harmful gases, which affects both land and air and causes human diseases.Therefore, goveronment can run campaigns and make strict laws to reduce the usage of plastic and protect the earth.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by identifying the environmental damage caused by plastic and offering solutions for both governments and individuals. The student discusses land fertility issues, toxic gas emissions from recycling/burning, and proposes realistic solutions such as stricter laws, financial penalties, and public awareness campaigns. However, the development of some ideas tends to be slightly repetitive, and certain examples, such as the mention of research studies on toxic gases, remain a bit general rather than fully extended. Overall, the writer maintains a clear position throughout the essay, meeting the requirements of the task adequately, which corresponds well to Band 6.0 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with clear paragraphing, separating the introduction, two body paragraphs on environmental damage and solutions, and a conclusion. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. The student uses basic cohesive devices like 'Secondly', 'Every problem has its solution', and 'To conclude', but some transitions feel abrupt, such as the sudden shift in paragraph two from general use to decomposition issues. Referencing and pronoun usage could also be smoother, for instance, 'how the rule makers can come up with the problem' rather than solve it. Overall organization is present and the progression is logical, fitting the Band 6 descriptor.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'indecosable' (intended as indecomposable), 'fertility', 'toxic gases', and 'penalty'. There are noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, including 'freindly' instead of 'friendly', 'shooping' instead of 'shopping', 'burried' instead of buried, and 'composable' instead of compostable or biodegradable. While these errors occur frequently, they do not severely impede communication because the writer's intent remains clear. Attempts to use less common vocabulary are made, though with some inaccuracy, placing this performance solidly at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over sentence structure. For example, conditional structures are attempted ('If anyone is seen throwing it public, they should pay penalty'). However, there are frequent grammatical errors in punctuation, article usage, prepositions, and verb forms, such as 'It is undeniable fact that, plastic usage has boomed in last few decades' (missing article and unnecessary comma) and 'When the plastic is burned for recycle use they releases' (subject-verb agreement error). Punctuation errors, such as comma splices and stray capital letters, also appear. These errors rarely impede overall communication, supporting a Band 5.5 score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.