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)

In the contemporary era, pollution is increasing day by day and it is damaging the environment. The major thing which is polluting our surroundings is plastic. All sort of plastic things are not getting recycled and it is causing a bad affects on the soil as well to the land . This explores the effect of plastic and what can be done by governments and individuals to resolve this issue.

The first and foremost damage plastic do is reducing soil fertility. Plastic is non-biodegradable substance which means that cannot be mixed with soil when we dump it. Therefore, it might reduce the fertility and crops cannot be grown in that soil. In addition to this, Plastic packaging cannot be disposed off easily. It takes several years to decompose it. If it stay like this on land then it may emit harmful gases like methane and reduce approximately 3 percent of greenhouse gases. For instance, a survey was conducted regarding things that are harmful to the nature and it was shown that out of all things plastic was at number one. Therefore, it is is a serious concern.

In order to solve this problem, people should do recycling rather than decomposing it. Recycling is a eco-friendly way in which it can be easily used and will not cause any trouble to our surroundings. Moreover, governments should make serious laws regarding this and if anyone breaks them, some fine or punishmnent should be given. For example, In Canada, a rule is that if someone does not put plastic in recycle bin then the person will be fined with 100 dollars. So, everyone follows the rules and regulations .

In the conclusion, plastic is creating a bad affect as it decrease the fertility of soil as well as release harmful gases and it can solved by doing recycling and making strict laws in regard to this by officials.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, identifying environmental damages caused by plastic, such as reduced soil fertility and greenhouse gas emissions, and proposing solutions like recycling and government legislation. The position is clear throughout the essay. However, some ideas lack deep development or contain slight logical inconsistencies, such as the confusing claim regarding reducing greenhouse gases when discussing harmful emissions. Examples are provided, such as the Canadian fine for not recycling, which supports the solution part of the prompt well. Overall, the task is addressed adequately and meets the criteria for Band 6.0, as all parts are covered even though some explanations remain somewhat generalized and under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is divided into four clear paragraphs, following a logical structure with an introduction, two body paragraphs covering the prompt's two main questions, and a brief conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'In addition to this', 'Therefore', and 'Moreover', though some devices feel a bit mechanical or repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, but paragraphing could be strengthened by ensuring smoother transitions between sentences. The overall arrangement is coherent, allowing the reader to follow the writer's arguments without significant confusion, placing it comfortably in the Band 6.0 category.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using terms like 'non-biodegradable substance', 'decompose', and 'eco-friendly'. However, there are noticeable word-choice and collocation errors throughout the text, such as writing 'a bad affects' instead of 'bad effects', 'All sort of plastic things', and 'disposed off' instead of 'disposed of'. Spelling mistakes like 'punishmnent' also occur. While these errors do not seriously impede communication, they reflect a limited control over less common lexical items, aligning the response with Band 5.5 to 6.0 descriptors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement and articles, such as 'damage plastic do', 'Plastic is non-biodegradable substance', 'it stay like this', and 'It can solved'. Punctuation errors also appear, including a comma splice and awkward spacing around punctuation marks. While the meaning remains generally understandable, the frequency of grammatical errors prevents the essay from achieving a higher band, making Band 5.5 the most accurate descriptor.

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