Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-19

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)

There is no doubt that plastic and pastic products become biggest threat to environment these days. In upcomming paragraphs, I will discuss some of its effects on environment and I would suggest some possible sollution to deal with this problem with the help of public and government.

Plastic is not a material which can easly decompose into the soil. Eventhough, when it goes through recycling process, It still releases toxic gasses into the air and pollute our ecosystem. It does not only pollute the air, it is also piling up in our ocean, where it effect the health of marien life like turtles and fishes. For instance, I saw in some geographical documantries that some time people find turtles and fishes stuck in plastic beer rings and sometime they found plastic straws stuck in there nose. Althought, plastic bags are also another problem for environment. Because sometime people throw those bags on roads and parks. Where it keeps piling up, which not only cause pollution, it also distroy the beauty of nature as well.

However, nothing is imposible to deal with. So, with the help of people and government and by taking some important measurements towards this problem, we can reduce its impact on nature. For example, in the end of 2024 government of British Columbia took a huge step and banned all the plastic bags in their state. Instead they start using paper bags and cardboard ring for beer cans. Every store and people support this decision and use of plastic in BC drop up to a hudge extent. Moreover, government can Install some wending machines where people can put plastic bottles, bags and other material to earn some money back.

Overall, it is not impossible that a single person can remove whole pastic from ecosystem. But a single person can start the campaign. Moreover, if government and whole public support it that day would not be too far when we see a plastic free surroundings.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the environmental damage caused by plastic and practical solutions involving individuals and governments. The introduction sets out the intention, though it uses memorised introductory framing ("In upcomming paragraphs..."). Ideas are generally well-supported with relevant examples, such as the ban on plastic bags in British Columbia and the mention of marine life entanglement. However, some arguments lack full depth, and certain examples rely heavily on personal anecdote rather than fully expanded analysis. Despite minor developmental limitations, all bullet points of the prompt receive due attention, justifying a solid band 6.5 or band 7 representation.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is divided into logical paragraphs with a clear overall structure: an introduction, body paragraphs addressing damage and solutions respectively, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed, but some transitions feel mechanical or slightly awkward, such as starting multiple sentences with "Because sometime..." or "Where it keeps piling up...". Referencing is occasionally ambiguous, leading to minor tracking issues between sentences. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate ideas, yet paragraph internal flow suffers from repetitive sentence structures. Overall, the essay shows a coherent arrangement, fitting comfortably within the band 6 category.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student demonstrates an adequate vocabulary range for the task, attempting less common items such as "ecosystem," "decompose," and "entanglement" (implied). However, there are frequent spelling errors throughout the response, including "pastic" instead of plastic, "upcomming" instead of upcoming, "sollution" instead of solution, "easly" instead of easily, "Eventhough" instead of even though, "marien" instead of marine, "documantries" instead of documentaries, "imposible" instead of impossible, "hudge" instead of huge, and "wending" instead of vending. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are systematic and restrict the lexical 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 capacity for subordination and relative clauses (e.g., "Plastic is not a material which can easly decompose..."). However, control over grammar and punctuation is inconsistent. There are numerous basic grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ("plastic and pastic products become"), tense inconsistencies, and missing articles. Punctuation errors are also prevalent, such as sentence fragments and comma splices (e.g., "Eventhough, when it goes through recycling process, It still releases..."). Due to the frequency of grammatical slips and punctuation lapses, a band 5.0 is appropriate.

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