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 negative impacts acused by plastic products in the environment are undeniable. These substances have bad affect for the environment whereas by proper steps taken by the people as well as government can solve this concern. That I will be going to highlight in upcoming passages.

To begin with, Since, plastic is non-biodegradable and it stays in the nature for a while which results in environment pollution. For instant, a recent study suggests that after dsiposal of products made from plastic they can remain in their original form for 100 years. Adding more to it, these products can also leads to deterimental issues, such as, air pollution, water pollution and so on. For example, When we try to burn plastic it never burns completely but it leaves its residue that is full of toxic substances that ultimately results in air pollution. Beside, people try to dispose such items in water bodies that makes water undrinkable for both human race as well as for other species on earth.

Although, governments all around the world can keep it in control by banning use of plastic products and implanting wooden or recyclable alternatives. Not only this but also these public organizations can introduce hefty fines for those who donot obey these laws. Besides, individual can also take it as responsibility for practising these orders by the government. It would also be useful and economic for them in order to stay healthy and recycling the same product for a long term.

In conclusion, despite plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic packaging cause problems for the environment but these issues can be eliminated by taking steps on individual level as well as by officials

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by identifying both the environmental damage caused by plastic and the solutions available to governments and individuals. The writer states a clear position right from the introduction and maintains it throughout the essay. The ideas are relevant, noting issues like air pollution from burning plastic and water pollution from improper disposal, alongside actionable solutions such as bans, fines, and recycling. However, some ideas lack deep extension or detailed supporting examples, which places the response firmly within Band 6. For instance, the discussion on individual responsibilities is somewhat brief. Overall, the prompt requirements are adequately fulfilled, but further elaboration on the consequences and solutions would elevate the task response score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is divided into logical paragraphs with an introduction, body paragraphs addressing damage and solutions respectively, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as "To begin with," "Adding more to it," and "In conclusion." However, some transitional phrases are awkward or unnatural, such as "That I will be going to highlight in upcoming passages," which reveals a rigid, memorized template approach. Additionally, referencing is occasionally imprecise, and the flow between sentences can be slightly disjointed due to mechanical linking words. Paragraphing is present and generally appropriate, but the overall cohesion suffers from these noticeable mechanical errors and awkward transitions, aligning with the Band 6 descriptor.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as "non-biodegradable," "detrimental," and "recyclable alternatives." However, there are frequent errors in word choice, spelling, and word formation throughout the text. Examples include "acused" instead of caused, "bad affect" instead of bad effect, "dsiposal" instead of disposal, and "implanting" instead of implementing. While communication is not severely impeded and the meaning remains understandable, these persistent lexical and mechanical inaccuracies prevent the writing from achieving a Band 6.5 or 7.0, restricting the score to a Band 5.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. Examples of complex structures include conditional and relative clauses like "when we try to burn plastic it never burns completely..." and "those who donot obey these laws." However, there are numerous grammatical errors throughout the essay. These include subject-verb agreement issues ("individual can also take"), incorrect prepositions ("take it as responsibility"), punctuation errors, and spelling mistakes within grammatical forms ("donot"). While these errors do not completely obscure the message, they occur with high frequency and impede smooth reading, which is characteristic of the Band 5 descriptor.

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