Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-08

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 5.5)

In the 20th Century, environmental pollution is the main topic of discussion at every Forum's about the hazard it cause to the living species. Use of the Plastic based polymer came in early 19th century for the various usecases it had but humans were not aware of the hazard it imposes to the ecosystem if not recycled properly. The below essay will discuss the damage that plastic causes and solutions to mitigate further risk to future generations.

Products of Plastic found in many forms in our surrounding from drinking water bottles, cooking utensiles, bags, car body this imposes health hazard to humans and other living species while consuming micro plastics and also through soil contamination and marine life when not disposed properly. Cancer disease had brought highest mortality rate to humans with unknown cure to the date. Also this extended to the Land, Water and Air by improper disposal techniques.

It is now the duty of the government and citizens to work together towards this threat to ecosystem. As an official regulatory body muncipal committee has to raise awareness and campaign to educate the people of how to segregate the waste as per their grade in different bins to make recycling efficient.

If acted upon with the sense of urgency further damage could be prevented with support from the people and structural measures from the government to control the damage plastic products impose.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both parts of the prompt: you identify harms such as microplastic consumption, soil contamination and damage to marine life, and propose government awareness campaigns and waste sorting. However, the response only partially develops these points. The effects are listed rather than explained, and the claim linking plastic to cancer is not supported or clearly connected to the question. Solutions are also narrow: the essay gives little detail about what individuals can do beyond cooperating with sorting, and does not explain other possible measures. The conclusion is brief and does not add support. The response is 17 words below the required minimum, which contributes to the limited development. Explain cause and effect and include specific examples to address the task more fully.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph on environmental damage, a paragraph on government action, and a concluding statement. This helps the reader follow the broad direction of the essay. However, progression within paragraphs is limited, and several ideas are compressed into lists, such as the examples of plastic products and the different forms of contamination. Linking phrases such as “Also” and “It is now the duty” are basic, while “The below essay will discuss” is an awkward signpost rather than a natural transition. The final paragraph repeats the need for cooperation without summarising the main points. Develop one idea at a time and use clearer links between causes, effects and proposed actions.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use a reasonable range of topic-related vocabulary, including “ecosystem,” “micro plastics,” “soil contamination,” “marine life,” “segregate” and “recycling.” These choices show an attempt to use more specific language than basic terms such as “pollution” and “plastic.” Some less common expressions are inaccurate or unnatural, however: “hazard it cause,” “usecases,” “imposes to the ecosystem” and “structural measures” do not convey the intended meaning precisely. There are also spelling and word-form problems, including “utensiles” and “muncipal.” These do not prevent the general message from being understood, but they reduce precision. Aim for natural collocations and check spelling, especially in key topic vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a conditional construction in “if not disposed properly” and a longer sentence describing the effects of plastic. However, control is uneven, and errors sometimes make the relationships between ideas difficult to follow. For example, “the hazard it cause” has incorrect subject–verb agreement, while “Products of Plastic found in many forms” is missing a verb and has an unclear sentence structure. The opening sentence also has problems with agreement and punctuation. Most sentences are long or joined without clear grammatical boundaries, and there is little evidence of consistently controlled complex structures. Practise building accurate sentences with a clear subject and verb, then use punctuation to separate related points.

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

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