Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-11

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)

Plastic products such as bottels, wrappers, bags deplete the environment in various ways.

Owing to its non-biodegradable nature plastic reduces the fertality of soil and also contributes in water pollution. More stringent laws and policies are required by the governments to mitigate this issue, and public need to follow them.

Use of plastic is increasing day by day and we use plastic daily for every basic task. This habit and easy availability of plastic products is depleting the earth, since a single plastic bag needs more than 100 years to degrade. While degrading and dumping microplastic particles pollute the soil and results in infertality of land. This can be easily seen in underdeveloped countries such as South Africa, where the land is bare and can not produce any crop. Moreover, ineffective dumping practices is another factor to give rise to water pollution. In most of the tourist places, illigle dumping of plastic waste can be seen near water resources, which consequently cause death of many animals and disturbs the ecosystem.

First step to solve the pastic waste issue sould be by the governments by banning the use of plastic products and giving alternative options as well. Along with a ban on plastic goods, government need to impose new policies under which plastic products industries would be replaced by alternative businesses such as paper industry for making paper bags and packaging ,or glass bottels. Citizens are equally accountable for saving the environment as they need to be self-aware and stop using plastic goods, which will ultimately reduce the demand and use of plastic. Switzerland is a good example because plastic waste in this country is the least here.

In conclusion, although plastic waste is the main culprit behind imbalanced ecosystem and infertile soil, collaborative efforts by the governments and people can certaily cap this problem and reduce plastic waste.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address both parts of the question and maintain a clear position that plastic harms the environment and requires action from governments and individuals. The effects are relevant and supported with examples: you explain soil damage and water pollution, and describe harm to animals and ecosystems. Your proposed responses also cover both groups, including restrictions, alternatives and reduced consumer demand. This fits a response that addresses all parts and extends its ideas. However, some support is broad or insufficiently explained: the claim that South Africa’s land is bare because of plastic pollution, and the statement that Switzerland has the least plastic waste, need clearer evidence or qualification. Explain more precisely how each proposed measure would reduce the damage to make the argument more convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on environmental damage, a paragraph on solutions, and a conclusion. The progression from causes and effects to action is easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “Along with,” and “In conclusion” help signal relationships between ideas. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent overall arrangement and shows some features of more flexible organisation. At times, however, connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “While degrading and dumping microplastic particles…” does not clearly show how the processes relate, and “Switzerland is a good example because plastic waste in this country is the least here” is not well integrated with the preceding point about individual responsibility. Use clearer referencing and explain how examples support the paragraph’s main idea.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “non-biodegradable,” “microplastic particles,” “ecosystem,” “alternative options,” and “demand.” These choices allow you to discuss environmental effects and possible responses, and the meaning is generally clear. You also attempt some less common terms, but inaccurate spelling and word choice reduce precision: examples include “bottels,” “fertality,” “infertality,” “illigle,” and “pastic.” Some combinations are also unnatural, such as “deplete the environment” and “give rise to water pollution” in this context. Aim to check spelling carefully and choose collocations that express the intended relationship precisely. For instance, plastic can “damage the environment,” while waste can “contaminate waterways.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including clauses with “since,” “which,” and “although,” and the overall meaning is usually understandable. However, some errors in agreement, articles, verb forms and sentence construction remain. For example, “ineffective dumping practices is” should use a plural verb, while “government need to impose” requires an article or plural form. In “which consequently cause death of many animals,” the verb does not agree with its subject, and the article is missing before “death.” The opening sentence also lacks a clear grammatical structure. Review subject–verb agreement and article use, and proofread longer sentences to ensure that each clause has a clear subject and verb. More consistently accurate complex sentences would strengthen control.

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