Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-17

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 7.0)

Plastic is widely used for bags, bottles and packaging despite being considered harmful for the environment. It degrades at a very slow rate, thereby increasing landfills and damaging ecosystem by entering the food chain. These issues can be efficiently mitigated by enforcing strict laws, increasing awareness and with deliberate community efforts to limit its use.

Plastic use has detrimental effects on the environment and fragile ecosysytems. Since it can take hundreds of years to degrade under the landfills, it increases demand of land being used for plastic waste disposal. Therefore, plastic use today will continue to harm the environment for many more years to come. Moreover, plastic in the ocean can form miniplastic residues, and when ingested by marine animals, they can enter the foodchain and may cause death of the marine creatures. For instance, careless plastic use in India has significantly deteriorated marine life in costal regions.

Both government and individuals should work in collaboration to prevent the environment from adverse effecst of plastic. The authorities should introduce strict laws on plastic use and impose heavy penalties on those who violate such laws, along with raising awareness on its negative affects. This might motivate businesses to stop using plastic completely. For example, the Indian government has banned the use pf plastic bags in the Himachal Pradesh, which has maintained the tranquillity of the Himalayas. Furthermore, individuals should also adopt eco-friendly alternatives such as reusable water bottles, which may considerably reduce plastic consumption. These smaller conscious efforts at community level usually have a larger impact when adopted globally.

In conclusion, careless plastic consumption has created a formidable situation. While it can generate substantial non-biodegradable waste, enter the food chain and harm the wildlife, its harmful effects can be addressed efficiently if government enforce stricter laws and individuals adopt sustainable alternatives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response fully addresses all parts of the prompt. The writer clearly identifies the environmental damage caused by plastics, such as slow degradation, expanding landfills, and marine pollution entering the food chain. Furthermore, the second and third body paragraphs logically propose practical solutions for both governments and individuals, supported by relevant examples such as the plastic bag ban in Himachal Pradesh, India. The position is well maintained throughout the essay and the ideas are appropriately extended and supported. The content demonstrates a clear understanding of the task requirements, matching the standard expected for a Band 7.5 to 8.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organised with a clear progression from introduction to body paragraphs and a concluding summary. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the prompt (damage in paragraph two, solutions in paragraph three). Cohesive devices such as 'Therefore', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore' are deployed effectively to link ideas, although referencing occasionally feels slightly mechanical ('its negative affects', 'such laws'). Overall, the logical structure and flow meet the Band 7.0 criteria very well, as the progression throughout the essay remains clear.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary with some flexibility and precision. Less common lexical items are attempted, such as 'mitigated', 'detrimental', 'ecosystems', 'tranquillity', and 'non-biodegradable waste'. However, there are a few noticeable typographical errors and inaccuracies in word choice or collocation, such as 'ecosysytems', 'miniplastic' instead of 'microplastic', and 'costal' instead of 'coastal'. Additionally, there is a minor preposition slip ('in the Himachal Pradesh' rather than 'in Himachal Pradesh'). These minor lexical slips place the writing comfortably within the Band 6.5 to 7.0 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.0

The response exhibits a good mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional or participial clauses like 'thereby increasing landfills and damaging ecosystem' and 'when ingested by marine animals'. There are frequent error-free sentences, though a few minor grammatical errors persist. For instance, there is a singular/plural mismatch ('damaging ecosystem' instead of 'ecosystems'), a spelling/word choice slip ('adverse effecst'), and a subject-verb agreement error in the conclusion ('if government enforce stricter laws' instead of 'governments enforce'). Despite these minor inaccuracies, communication is never impeded, demonstrating solid control typical of a Band 7.0.

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

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