Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-03

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)

It is often argued that plastics things such as bags, bottles, and packaging are detrimental for the environment because it is inorganic substance and eaten by animals which harm them badly.

To begin with, uses of plastics are increasing day-by-day, and people throw this plastics in the surroundings without knowing its bad effects to the environment. For instance, plastics are non-biodegradable substance, if we throw this in oceans or rivers then it mistakely consumed by small fish and this fish eaten by other animals or human beings. In addition, this plastics affect those fishes as well to them who consumed it and leads to death which adversely affect our ecosystem. Furthermore, these plastics make surroundings dirty and also cause an accident if it is in open surrounding. If somebody burn this plastic in an open environment to dispose then it will cause an air pollution.

To control this pollution and plastic uses, an individual as well as governments should take plenty of actions. For example, strict rules and regulations should be made by government to dispose this plastics properly. Moreover, the government should conduct public awareness program so that people will be aware of using plastics how harmful are they to the environments. An individuals should not throw this plastics anywhere in the environment rather than it should be put in dustbin.

To conclude, plastics are harmful to the environment as well as human beings so that it should be manage properly. Furthermore, the use of plastic packaging, bags should be banned and it should be replaced by biodegradable bags.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the task, covering both the damage plastic does to the environment and what can be done by governments and individuals to solve the problem. The main parts are present, but some ideas are more fully developed than others. For example, the impact on marine life and ecosystems is mentioned with examples like ingestion by fish, but the discussion on solutions remains somewhat general, relying on broad statements such as 'strict rules and regulations should be made'. The position is clear throughout, and the ideas presented are relevant to the prompt, fulfilling the requirements for this level where some expansion is present even if certain points remain under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response achieves a coherent overall arrangement with a clear attempt at logical progression. Information is organized into distinct paragraphs, starting with an introduction, followed by body paragraphs addressing the specific questions, and finishing with a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'To begin with', 'In addition', and 'For example'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes mechanical or slightly faulty, as seen in repetitive phrasing like 'this plastics' and sentences that feel somewhat disjointed in their transitions. To reach the next level, the use of cohesive devices needs to be more flexible and natural, avoiding repetitive structures and ensuring smoother overall links between sentences.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

An adequate range of vocabulary is used for the task, successfully communicating the main ideas. The writer attempts less common vocabulary, such as 'non-biodegradable', 'ecosystem', and 'detrimental', demonstrating some awareness of topic-specific terminology. However, there are noticeable errors in word choice, word form, and collocation throughout the text. Examples include 'plastics things', 'uses of plastics are increasing', and 'mistakely consumed', as well as grammatical word-form slips like 'an individuals'. These lexical errors do not seriously impede communication, but they highlight the limitations of the current vocabulary range and control, preventing a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and relative clauses, such as sentences containing 'if we throw this in oceans' and 'so that people will be aware'. There are some errors in grammar and punctuation, including articles ('an air pollution', 'an individuals'), pluralisation and agreement issues ('this plastics', 'fishes'), and prepositions. While these errors occur regularly, they rarely impede communication. The control of grammar represents a blend of correct simple structures and occasional errors in more complex attempts, aligning well with the characteristics of this band level.

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.