Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-10

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 6.5)

There has been an increasing use of plastic products in our daily lives over the past few decades. While these plastic items such as bottles and containers offer great convenience, their devestating effects on the environment cannot be overlooked. This essay will first discuss the damage that plastic does to our environment and will suggest possible solutions to resolve the problem.

First and foremost, plastic is non-biodegrable. In simple words, once any plastic product is made, it takes a million of years to decompose. If it is burned, it results in the emission of hazardous gases that not only causes air pollution but also disrupts natural ecosystem. Many animals and birds species cannot survive these harmfull gases and ultimately, this can lead to their extinction. Secondly, most of the plastic waste is dumped into oceans, resulting in polluting water, make it uninhabitable for the aquatic species. Sometimes, fishes considers these plastic sheets as food and consumes and ultimately they die. In this way, whole ecosystem gets disrupted due to the plastic products usage.

Addressing the issue of plastic pollution has become a matter of urgency and if left unaddressed, its results would be catastrophic. Both individuals and goverments should make collective efforts to mitigate the use of plastic products. Government should initiate and devope strong polices againts the production and use of single-use plastic items such as packaging bags, food containers, and plastic bottles. Industries and individuals should be fined against the violation of these laws. For instance, there has been a decline in the plastic products usage in some countries, where these kinds of polices are implemeted.

At the same time, people should also make informed choices to avoid the usage of plastic items in their housholds. For example, when going for groceries, they can take fabric based packaing bag with them. Additionally, instead of using plastic bottles, they can use steel based bottles.

In conclusion, the best approach to resolve this problem involves collaborative efforts of both government and individuals. Every person should considers this as an individuals responsiblity to remove plastic products from his life and surroundings as well.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the task and maintains a clear position: plastic harms ecosystems, and governments and individuals should act together. The environmental effects are relevant, including hazardous emissions, ocean pollution, and animals mistaking plastic for food. The proposed measures—restrictions and penalties for single-use plastics, plus reusable fabric bags and steel bottles—also answer the question. To make the discussion more fully developed, explain the consequences of these harms more precisely and support the policy example with a specific country or outcome. Some claims, such as plastic taking “a million of years” to decompose and animals becoming extinct, are broad and would be stronger with qualification or clearer explanation. The response therefore covers the task well, but development is uneven.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay is organised clearly into an introduction, a paragraph on environmental damage, two solution paragraphs, and a conclusion. Its progression is easy to follow, and signposts such as “First and foremost,” “Secondly,” “At the same time,” and “In conclusion” help guide the reader. The separation of government action from individual choices is particularly effective. Some linking is less smooth within sentences: “resulting in polluting water, make it uninhabitable” combines ideas awkwardly, while repeated references to “plastic products” make parts of the discussion feel less fluid. The conclusion also repeats the shared-responsibility point rather than drawing together the main effects and solutions. Overall, organisation is logical, with some room for more flexible and precise cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

There is an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “non-biodegradable,” “hazardous gases,” “aquatic species,” “single-use,” and “mitigate.” These choices help communicate the main points, and the meaning remains clear despite some inaccurate or awkward wording. Spelling errors such as “devestating,” “goverments,” “polices,” and “implemeted” reduce accuracy. Some collocations are also unnatural: “fishes considers these plastic sheets as food” and “fabric based packaing bag” could be expressed more idiomatically. Repetition of “plastic products” and “use” limits flexibility. Aim to check spelling carefully and choose natural topic-specific combinations, such as “plastic waste enters the ocean” or “introduce restrictions on single-use plastics.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex structures, including a conditional sentence (“If it is burned…”) and a relative clause (“which…,” implied in several longer constructions). Most ideas are understandable, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “gases that not only causes” has a subject–verb agreement problem, and “fishes considers” should use a plural verb form. In “resulting in polluting water, make it uninhabitable,” the participle construction does not connect the consequences correctly. The final sentence also needs agreement in “Every person should considers.” Review agreement, verb patterns, and sentence construction, especially when joining several effects in one sentence. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen control.

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