Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
The use the plastic is singnificantly increasing with each passing day and has become a big concern in many cities.This trend can have some negative impacts on environment and some measures to mitigate this issue which I will discuss in forthcoming paragraphs.
one key reason is the less awareness among people related to the use of plastic.This is mainly because people do not care about the surroundings where they are living. for instance, a large amount of people after having a drink party with their near and dear ones, they throw the bottles on roads without the fear of law and taking care of the atmosphere. As a results, which leads towards a lot of serious ailments that is not wise approach. Furthermore, these plastic items could not easily abosorb into the sand.
To adress this issue, governments and individuals could take several steps to curb this problem. First of all, governments should make some strict laws againts those who use the plastic items in daily basis. Apart from that, they should impose fine from them who throw the plastic garbage here and there without the taking care of environment. consequently, it should be responsibility of parents to teach their children about the detrimental effects of plastic on the earth and on people. Due to this young people can become aware about this situation.
In conclusion, although , there is no doubt that more and more people are using plastic at their homes and on work. but this obstacle could be mitigated by taking fewer steps by regimes and senior citizens.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, discussing the environmental damage caused by plastic and offering solutions from governments and individuals. However, the development of ideas is limited and at times superficial. For example, the explanation of the damage caused by plastic includes vague assertions such as 'lead towards a lot of serious ailments' without clear elaboration or specific environmental impacts. The position is clear, but the support tends to be brief and generalised. For instance, the suggestion that governments should 'make some strict laws againts those who use the plastic items' lacks specific detail. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, but the ideas require deeper extension and more precise examples to reach higher bands.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The response features an overall logical progression with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing causes, solutions, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is attempted, though the division is somewhat irregular, with multiple ideas grouped together in the second and third paragraphs. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'First of all', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion', but some transitions are misused or awkward, as seen in 'As a results, which leads towards' and 'although... but this obstacle could be mitigated'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, such as 'impose fine from them'. While the text holds together reasonably well, the mechanical and sometimes inaccurate use of cohesive ties keeps this criterion at a band 5.5 level.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is adequate for basic communication, but it lacks the range and precision required for higher band scores. There are several noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'The use the plastic', 'drink party', 'abosorb into the sand', and 'impose fine from them'. Spelling errors are also present, including 'singnificantly', 'adress', and 'againts'. While the writer attempts some less common vocabulary such as 'mitigate', 'detrimental effects', and 'obstacle', these are often marred by inaccuracies. The limited range and frequent lexical errors mean the response sits comfortably within the band 5 range.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as relative clauses and conditional-like constructs ('if people do not care...'). However, control over grammar is weak, with frequent errors that occasionally cause difficulty for the reader. Examples include article misuse ('The use the plastic', 'on work'), agreement issues ('these plastic items could not easily abosorb'), and faulty sentence fragments ('As a results, which leads towards a lot of serious ailments that is not wise approach'). Punctuation is also problematic, particularly comma splices and unnecessary commas, as seen in 'In conclusion, although , there is no doubt...'. The frequency of structural errors prevents the grammar score from exceeding band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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