Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-14

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)

Environment deterioration is at an alarming rate due to several resons. One of them is plastic materials,such as bags, bottles and packaging . This essay will examine what things are demaged by this and viable remedies to solve this problem.

There are several problems caused by plastic waste. Firstly, plastic pollutes rivers and oceans. Many sea animals eat plastic because they think it is food. As a result, they may become sick or die. Secondly, plastic takes a long time to break down. When people throw plastic bags on the ground, they make the land dirty. Moreover, burning plastic can cause air pollution, which is harmful to human health.

There are some ways to solve this problem. Governments should make strict rules to reduce the use of plastic bags and bottles. They should also provide more recycling bins in public places. People who throw plastic waste in the wrong places should pay fines. On the other hand, individuals can use cloth bags instead of plastic bags and carry reusable water bottles. They should also put plastic waste in recycling bins.

In conclusion, plastic causes serious problems for the environment and animals. Governments and individuals should work together to reduce plastic waste and keep the environment clean.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both parts of the question: the effects of plastic and actions for governments and individuals. The examples of sea animals eating plastic, litter making land dirty, and burning plastic causing air pollution are relevant, while your proposed rules, recycling bins, fines and reusable items give a clear response to the solutions part. However, several points are stated briefly rather than explained—for example, you do not show how plastic pollution affects ecosystems over time or how the suggested policies would reduce waste. The response also does not meet the required minimum of 250 words, so there is limited space to develop and support your ideas. Add specific explanations or examples for each main point.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response is organised clearly into an introduction, a paragraph on environmental damage, a paragraph on solutions, and a conclusion. This gives the reader a logical progression, and signposts such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” “Moreover,” and “In conclusion” make the relationships between points easy to follow. The contrastive phrase “On the other hand” also separates individual actions from government measures, although the contrast is not especially strong. To make the organisation more flexible and less dependent on listing, connect ideas through cause and effect—for instance, explain how providing recycling bins encourages correct disposal. You could also develop each paragraph with a supporting example before moving to the next point.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of vocabulary for the topic, including “recycling bins,” “reusable water bottles,” “air pollution,” and “strict rules.” These choices communicate the main ideas clearly, and some topic-specific language helps keep the response focused. However, there are spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural expressions, including “resons,” “demaged,” and “Environment deterioration.” “Plastic materials” is also less precise than “plastic products” in this context. These issues do not prevent understanding, but they limit the accuracy and naturalness of the vocabulary. Aim to check spelling carefully and choose collocations that describe environmental effects precisely, such as “environmental degradation” or “plastic waste contaminates waterways.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and more developed sentence forms, and several sentences are clear and accurate, such as “Many sea animals eat plastic because they think it is food” and “Governments should make strict rules to reduce the use of plastic bags and bottles.” The conditional and purpose structures show some range. Some errors in grammar and punctuation remain, however: the opening sentence lacks an article in “Environment deterioration,” and spacing around punctuation is inconsistent in “materials,such” and “packaging .” The sentence patterns are mostly straightforward, so there is limited evidence of more varied complex structures. Practise combining related ideas with clauses such as “which can…” or “because…” while checking articles and punctuation.

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