Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-28

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)

With an advancement in technology, the outlook of people has been shifted from doing right things to pursuing those which are comparatively easier. Back in old times, people were more drawn towards nature as it was an overall essential element for agricultural success. With the development of manufacturing sector, the machines come into effect which bring whole world of plastic along with them. Every other material being produced in factories is packaged in plastic containers which are detrimental for nature.

Undoubtedly, use of plastic is cost effective in terms of steel and cooper. At the same time, it is not something which can be reused without any further work on it. In those areas where people are illterate regarding their harm to the environment by being thrown in open and burning them, it is highly miserable situation. As it serve as poison for stray animals such as dogs, cats and cows in terms of choking their digestive system which in turn becomes a reason of their death. Additionally, burning the plastic results in release of carbon monoxide gas which is excessively harmful for respiratory system of every living being.

Meanwhile, crucial interventions has to be made by government. The governing bodies should take the baggage of responsibility to educate the common people from big cities to villages regarding the the proper use of plastic and the ways it can be recycled and reuse at home. Furthermore, placing a separate plastic bin in front of every home to collect it and recycled it in best possible way by not polluting the environment much. On the other hand, the individuals consider their respective roles to save the environment from depletion by educating themselves and every member of family.

Overall, development is obvious but awareness of advantages and disadvantages of every coming product is ultimate need. Similarly, the use of plastic in people's life is inevitable but it's appropriate reuse and dumping strategies should be known to everyone which is the ultimate responsibility of the governing bodies and the user of the product.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing the damage plastic causes to the environment as well as proposing solutions for both governments and individuals. The discussion on environmental damage covers relevant points such as the impact on stray animals choking on plastic and the release of carbon monoxide through burning. The solutions are also appropriately targeted, mentioning government educational initiatives and waste collection systems, alongside individual responsibility. However, some ideas lack full extension and are slightly generalized. The introduction wanders off into a historical context of technology rather than focusing directly on the prompt. Despite these minor lapses, the main parts of the task are well-covered, aligning with the criteria for a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6 performance. Overall, the task requirements are fulfilled adequately with relevant ideas presented throughout the text.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt to structure the response into introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used logically to separate the environmental impacts in the second paragraph from the solutions in the third paragraph. However, logical progression is occasionally hindered by awkward transitions and mechanical cohesive devices, such as starting a sentence with 'Meanwhile, crucial interventions has to be made...' or 'On the other hand, the individuals consider...'. Reference words are sometimes ambiguous, and conjunctions are used rather rigidly. While the progression of ideas is discernible, the cohesion lacks flexibility and natural flow, which places the response firmly within the Band 6 descriptor.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'detrimental', 'cost effective', and 'inevitable'. However, there are noticeable inaccuracies in word choice, collocation, and spelling throughout the response. For instance, the student writes 'illterate regarding their harm' instead of 'ignorant of the harm', 'cooper' instead of 'copper', and uses awkward phrasing like 'bring whole world of plastic along with them'. Repetition of terms like 'ultimate need' and 'ultimate responsibility' also limits the lexical variety. While communication is generally clear and not severely impeded by these slips, the frequency of lexical inaccuracies prevents the score from reaching the higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an attempt at varied syntactic structures. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('crucial interventions has to be made' instead of 'have to be made'), article misuse ('in old times' instead of 'in the old days'), and prepositional errors ('harm to the environment by being thrown' causing a dangling modifier). Other minor errors include 'the machines come into effect' and 'recycled and reuse'. Although these errors are frequent, they rarely impede overall communication, allowing the reader to follow the writer's arguments without extreme difficulty. This distribution of error and structure reflects the Band 6 descriptor.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.