Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-02

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)

Plastic affects the environment in an utterly bad way. Items made of plastic such as bags, bottles and packaging are considerably affecting the environment and health due to its non- recycling nature. I strongly believe that government should come up with strict policies to avoid the use of plastic containers as much as possible.

First of all, plastic is something that cannot be recycled and takes many years to be decomposed which affects the quality of soil in a long run. To elaborate on it, unlike paper and wood, plastic is a kind of substance which affects the environment if burned and there is no other way to get rid of plastic substances instead of decomposing it which take several years and still decreases the soil and underground water quality. Additionally, not only plastic affects human health but it is also a main cause of many life-threatning diseases such as cancer. The consumption of food as well as drinks from plasctic containers add on some harmful substances to them which leads to unwamted results such as diagnosis with deadly diseases. The more people will use plastic packaging the more are chances of diseases to be spread.

Every problem holds some possible solutions. In order to reduce usage of plastic containers government should introduce new policies such as totally banning the plastic products followed by hefty fines if disobeyed which will lead to cause fear among individuals to not to use the plastic paving a path to reduce the use of plastic materials to zero. Additionally, human beings should also support the government by avoiding the use of plastic as much as they can and by using the paper bags or alternative source instead which will really help the environment in a long run.

In conclusion, although plastic usage is a major issue, I wholeheartedly hold the view that it can be overcomed with the support of the government as well as the public.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the task, discussing both the environmental and health impacts of plastic as well as proposing viable solutions for governments and individuals. The position is clear throughout the essay. However, some ideas remain under-developed or rely on generalisations rather than fully extended arguments, which places this aspect firmly in the mid-range. For instance, the claim that plastic causes life-threatening diseases like cancer is stated broadly without supporting evidence or a specific example from the writer's own knowledge. Similarly, the solution of totally banning plastic products lacks nuance regarding practical implementation. To reach a higher standard, the writer needs to provide more fully elaborated explanations and concrete examples to substantiate each point raised.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with a clear, logical progression of ideas across paragraphs, moving logically from environmental and health problems to governmental and individual solutions, followed by a clear conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct themes. However, cohesion at the sentence level is occasionally mechanical or repetitive, such as the frequent reliance on transitional phrases like 'First of all' and 'Additionally'. Referencing can also be slightly imprecise, as seen in the phrase 'due to its non- recycling nature', where the pronoun reference is somewhat distant from its antecedent. To improve further, the writer should employ a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally and ensure smoother transitions between sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, demonstrating a sufficient range to communicate basic ideas about environmental issues. The writer attempts some less common vocabulary, such as 'life-threatening', 'hefty fines', and 'wholeheartedly', but encounters noticeable lexical and spelling inaccuracies that reflect a developing command of word choice. Examples of awkward phrasing and errors include 'non- recycling nature', 'life-threatning', 'plasctic', 'unwamted', and the misuse of 'overcomed' instead of 'overcome'. Additionally, collocation is sometimes unnatural, such as 'add on some harmful substances'. While communication is not severely hindered, these recurring errors in spelling, word form, and word choice prevent the lexical score from moving into higher territory.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating an ability to construct multi-clause sentences, such as conditional and relative clauses. There are several error-free sentences, and punctuation is generally handled adequately. However, a number of grammatical errors and awkward phrasing patterns persist throughout the text. These include article errors ('the government', 'the plastic'), pluralisation and agreement issues ('substances to them', 'chances of diseases to be spread'), and prepositions or prepositional patterns ('in a long run' instead of 'in the long run'). Attempts at complex structures occasionally result in slight clumsiness or run-on tendencies. Addressing these recurring accuracy issues and refining control over articles and prepositions will be essential for future progression.

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