Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-26

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)

Many people are using plastic items in their daily life which has a serious impact on world. Using plastic items such as bags, bottles and packaging are hazardous for the environment. I will discuss the problem that how does it affects the nature and solutions about this issue.

There are several damages can happen due to plastic, one main reason is it affects the water pollution. To explain it, people use the plastic goods and they throw in the river or on the ground and plastic is non-biodegradable item which remain in land and water for hundred of years. Also, it affects the wild life in sea who eat this as their food which causes serious issue and this can lead to death of marine life. For example,plastic partcles are found in many aquactic animals such as fish,birds and animals and it disrupts the entire ecosystem. Therefore, plastic items has a serious impact on the land as well as animals.

However, there are certain ways to reduce this damages on the environment. Governments and individuals are responsible for this cause. Although, society are eqaully responsible for this cause, they can resolve this by more awareness and they should reduce the use of plastic. Additionally, authorities should arrange campaign regarding public awareness and they should banned some harmful material like plastic. Also, they should encourage people for using items which is recyclable. To illustare, many individuals are using bags which is made of recyclable material such as jute bags are becoming more popularin younge generation. As a result, instead of using plastic items people and authority should start encouraging society to use biodegradable things.

In conclusion, plastic can damages the surroundings which is a serious issue in the world. Although, using plastic can create pollution and it also affects animals, it can be solve by authorities and individuals by taking steps to resolve this problem.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by identifying the environmental damage caused by plastic and outlining practical solutions from both governments and individuals. The writer presents a clear position throughout the essay. The ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as the mention of non-biodegradable waste and the impact on marine life like fish and birds. However, some ideas could have been further extended and developed to achieve a higher band. For instance, the discussion on government solutions briefly mentions bans and public awareness campaigns but lacks deeper elaboration on how these measures would effectively be implemented. Nevertheless, the requirements of the task are adequately met, and the overall content remains focused and pertinent to the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate different aspects of the task, such as environmental damage in the second paragraph and solutions in the third. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. Words like 'To explain it', 'Also', and 'To illustare' are used repetitively or somewhat awkwardly to link ideas. Additionally, referencing is occasionally unclear, as seen in phrases like 'due to plastic, one main reason is it affects the water pollution', where the logical connection between the cause and effect is slightly confused. Cohesive devices are present but lack the flexibility and smooth progression expected at higher bands.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate their ideas about environmental issues effectively. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary, such as 'non-biodegradable', 'ecosystem', and 'biodegradable things'. However, there are noticeable spelling and word-choice errors, including 'wild life' instead of 'wildlife', 'partcles' instead of 'particles', 'aquactic' instead of 'aquatic', 'younge' instead of 'young', and 'damages' used as a verb where 'damage' is required. While these errors do not seriously impede communication, they reflect an inconsistent control of lexical features and spelling, placing the response firmly in the Band 6 range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over grammar. Examples include introductory dependent clauses such as 'Although, society are eqaully responsible for this cause...'. However, there are frequent grammatical errors in agreement and phrasing, such as 'society are eqaully', 'there are several damages can happen', and 'plastic items has a serious impact'. Punctuation and article usage are also occasionally faulty, missing commas or using incorrect determiners. Despite these errors, the sentence structures remain generally comprehensible and communication is rarely impeded, corresponding well to the descriptors for Band 6.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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