Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-23

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 6.5)

In this contemporary era, environmental pollution is becoming a major issue for the society due to significant use of plastic bags, bottles and unnecessary plastic packaging. This essay will discuss the damage caused by the plastic use and the practical solutions that government and individuals can take to solve this problem.

To begin with, the excessive use of plastic can lead to several major issues such as land and water pollution. This is because, plastic waste does not decompose easily as a result it build up over times near the streets or in the rivers which is very harmful for the marine life. For example, a recent survey shows that the percentage of fish deaths are caused by plastic packaging that people through carelessly into the rivers. In addition to this, plastic gradually breaks into small particles that can easily transfer to the water and the food chain which can cause some serious health problems to individuals such as respiratory or hormonal problems.

However, higher authorities or members of the society together can tackle this issue in multiple ways. Either government should ban the use of single use plastic or they can promote reusable bags to the community by running advertisements on television or social media platforms. Secondly, teachers can educate the youger generation about the cons of plastic use or encourage them to participate in environmental organisations where then can learn to save the environment in better ways. Apart from this, local people can run street shows to educate people to save the environment.

To conclude, plastic bags, bottels or plastic packaging causes considerable damage to the environment by polluting land and water sites such as beaches, rivers or forests but this problem can be handle if the government or individuals can take strict actions by banning the single use of plastic bags and encourage people for reusable bags or educate people by running campaigns on social media.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response fully addresses all parts of the prompt by identifying the environmental damage caused by plastic and offering practical solutions for both governments and individuals. The introduction clearly outlines the scope of the essay. In the body paragraphs, the writer discusses land and water pollution, explaining how non-decomposing plastic harms marine life and enters the food chain. Furthermore, the measures suggested for governments, such as banning single-use plastics and running media campaigns, are relevant and well-developed. Suggestions for individuals, including educating younger generations and organizing community awareness events, are also well-integrated. Ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, demonstrating a clear position throughout the response.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Information and ideas are structured into logical paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. The writer uses cohesive devices adequately to guide the reader, such as 'To begin with', 'In addition to this', and 'To conclude'. However, there are some minor instances of awkward referencing or mechanical transitions, such as 'as a result it build up over times' instead of smoother subordination. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, separating the introduction, causes, solutions, and conclusion effectively. Overall progression is clear, though some cohesive links could be more flexibly integrated to reach a higher band.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'environmental pollution', 'marine life', 'respiratory or hormonal problems', and 'single use plastic'. However, there are several noticeable spelling errors and word-choice inaccuracies, such as 'through' instead of 'throw', 'youger' instead of 'younger', 'bottels' instead of 'bottles', and 'handle' instead of 'handled'. Despite these lexical slips, communication is never impeded, and the vocabulary remains sufficient to convey the intended meanings clearly and effectively.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and relative clauses, such as 'This is because, plastic waste does not decompose easily as a result it build up over times near the streets...' There are some grammatical errors and punctuation issues, notably run-on sentences, missing commas, and verb agreement errors like 'it build up' instead of 'it builds up' and 'percentage of fish deaths are' instead of 'is'. However, these errors rarely impede communication, and many sentences remain error-free, representing a solid Band 6 performance in grammar.

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