Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-18

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)

For many years, environmentalist have provided data and information about the negative impact of the continuous use of platsic especially with items like bags, bottles and packaging. This has unfortunately been ignored for many years and has caused major damage to the environment.

Firstly, plastic is not biodegradable and it can maintain its form for many years. This however has caused major issues because one of the only ways this material can be destroyed is through burning. Unfortunately, this also has a negative impact since it can strip away parts of the ozone layer. In landfills for instance, almost all the rubbish pilled up are made of plastic and they incluse bags, water bottles and packagings from restauransts and supermarket.

Secondly, plastic items cause overconsumption. Because it is cheap and readily available in the market, these items are bought by thousands of individuals on a daily basis and discarded as soon as they lose interest in the design rather than because it is defective. Of course this has also impacted the amount of rubbish in the environment.

Both the government and indiviuals have a part to play in the reduction of plastic use in the environment. One of the things that can be done is to educate the public of the negative impact of materials like bags and bottles made with plastic. Youths and children sshould be the target audience and excursions to landfills should be incorporated so that they can truly picture the destructiveness of plastic to the environment. Also, alternatives for these items made from natural resources should be advertised and the health impact of using plastic should be emphasized as a deterrent.

Although we cannot change what has happened in the past, I believe that by educating the public about the many disadvantages of plastice to make bags and bottles, it can reduce drastically especially because there are other sustainable materials that can be used and would last for many years.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt, exploring the environmental damage caused by plastic and offering solutions from both governments and individuals. The student maintains a clear position throughout the essay. The environmental impacts are discussed through the non-biodegradable nature of plastic and its contribution to overconsumption. Solutions are also presented, such as public education campaigns, targeting youth, and promoting natural alternatives. However, some ideas could be extended further; for instance, the explanation regarding burning plastic stripping away the ozone layer is scientifically inaccurate and underdeveloped. Despite this minor factual slip, the main requirements of the task are met, and the arguments are relevant, leading to a solid performance in this category.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a generally clear overall progression and is divided into appropriate paragraphs with a discernible introduction, body paragraphs addressing separate points, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed to link ideas, such as 'Firstly,' 'Secondly,' and 'Also,' though some transitional elements feel somewhat mechanical. Paragraphing is used sufficiently to separate the discussion of problems from solutions. However, referencing and cohesion occasionally falter, as seen in minor awkwardness in sentence transitions. For example, the sentence 'This however has caused major issues because one of the only ways this material can be destroyed is through burning' demonstrates a slightly disjointed flow that impacts overall readability. Nevertheless, the logical organization remains clear throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms like 'biodegradable', 'landfills', 'overconsumption', and 'sustainable materials'. There are, however, several noticeable spelling and word choice errors throughout the text, such as 'environmentalist' instead of 'environmentalists', 'platsic' instead of 'plastic', 'pilled up' instead of 'piled up', 'incluse' instead of 'include', 'packagings' (non-countable noun pluralised), 'restauransts' instead of 'restaurants', and 'indiviuals' instead of 'individuals'. While these errors occur with some frequency, they do not impede communication, as the reader can easily grasp the intended meaning. The vocabulary demonstrates sufficient flexibility for general tasks but falls short of higher bands due to inaccuracies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar with structures such as 'Although we cannot change what has happened in the past, I believe that...' However, there are frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, and word forms. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('almost all the rubbish pilled up are made'), spelling-induced errors, and slightly awkward phrasing like 'it can reduce drastically' where the object is missing. Punctuation is also occasionally neglected, such as missing commas after introductory transitional phrases. Despite these recurring grammatical slips, the majority of sentences are understandable and communication is rarely impeded, placing the grammar performance firmly within the Band 6 category.

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