Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-20
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 5.0)
It is ongoing the debate about plastic material used in bags , water and packaging causing worst for surroundings. this essay will discuss the main problems caused by plastics and suggest some possible solution.
one major problem is that, individuals consider using plastic in the daily basis. they are using kitchen utensils which made with plastic. However, People are using plastic numerously because it's cheaper than wooden. secondly, people are purchasing plastic water bottle because it's more convenient to use and they could also recycle it. for instance, I am going to a grocery shop to buy some vegetables, many grocery store just provide us a plastic bag so I have to just to take those bags.
one effective solution would be government should band plastic water bottles and plastic other items. if someone is selling the plastic material government should find them. plastic are causing our bad for health. another possible measure is to encourage people to use a wooden materials. for instance , government should just take action against those who are using the plastic and individuals also stop using plastic water bottles or any packaging items. I believe that it is also good for environment and our health as well.
in conclusion plastic causes serious problem such as pollution and haealth problems. however, stop using plastic would be best solution for this problem.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to address all parts of the prompt by discussing the damage plastics cause and suggesting solutions involving governments and individuals. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. For example, the explanation of individual actions focuses heavily on plastic bottles and utensils without fully exploring wider environmental impacts. Furthermore, the length requirement is not met, as the essay contains only 226 words against the 250-word minimum, which places a constraint on the overall depth of task fulfillment. Therefore, it fits the Band 5 descriptor for addressing the task partially with under-developed ideas and a clear length penalty.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The essay is divided into paragraphs, attempting an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, the logical progression is frequently disrupted by awkward transitions and poor sentence-to-sentence flow. For instance, the transition from the introduction into 'one major problem is that, individuals consider using plastic in the daily basis' lacks clear signposting. Paragraphing is attempted, but internal cohesion is often faulty or mechanical, with repetitive referencing such as 'plastic water bottle because it's more convenient...'. These issues align closely with the Band 5 descriptor where organisation is visible, but clear overall progression is lacking.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, frequently revolving around simple terms like 'plastic', 'problem', 'solution', and 'things'. There are noticeable word choice and collocation errors, such as 'causing worst for surroundings', 'band plastic water bottles' (instead of ban), and 'government should find them' (instead of fine them). While the range is minimally adequate to convey basic meaning regarding the topic, these errors and the lack of sophisticated or less common lexical items restrict the score to Band 5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, such as conditional structures ('if someone is selling... government should find them'). However, grammatical accuracy is low, with frequent errors including tense inconsistencies ('It is ongoing the debate', 'People are using plastic numerously'), missing articles, and faulty sentence construction ('plastic are causing our bad for health'). These errors frequently strain the reader and obscure the intended meaning, keeping the grammar performance within the Band 5 category.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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