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)

It is widely recongnized that plastic waste leaves a devastating affect on the ecosystem. Plastic bags, bottles and other products not only contaminates soil, air and water but also cause threat to human body. However, this problem can be addressed by the government by imposing some laws and individuals should become responsible towards their actions.

It is an irrefutable fact that plastic is a non-biodegradable substance which take a long time to decay. Once it starts to decompose by chemical treatments it releases toxic substances into the land, air and water which later gets mixed in the sources of human consuption. Ultimately, it blockages soil nutrients to reach plants, pollutes the atmosphere through the emision of CO2 and other toxins, also consumed by sea creatures. Consumption of these cause diseases like asthma, cancer and so on to human beings.

One of the key solutions to reduce the usage of single use plastic items are by banning them or imposing heavy taxes on their purchase. This practice can shift the focus of individuals to use alternative options such as paper or cloth bags, reusuable straws and so on. This is evident in several nations where the shopping centres started to charge for bags on each purchase. Consequently, people started to reuse their bags in order to terminate unnecessary expenditure.

Subequently, individuals can contribute to managing plastic problem by eliminating the use of plastic water bottlers, cups, bags and packagings from their everyday life. Although plastic is affordable, the public should invest wisely when making purchase for domestic products like buying a steel water bottle instead of a plastic one. Moreover, they can also demonstrate their care by seperating recyclable materials instead of throwing everything all together. This allows easy collection and treatment of recyclable materials.

In conclusion, undoubtedly tremendous use of plastic items can create an alarming situation in the world due to its several negative affects. Nevertheless, this problem can be resolved by the authorities and people while working together responsibly.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

You address both parts of the question: the effects of plastic and actions for governments and individuals. The explanation of harm includes contamination of soil, air and water, damage to soil nutrients, and risks to sea creatures and human health. You also give relevant measures, including taxes or bans, reusable alternatives, and sorting recyclable materials. The shopping-centre example helps support the government proposal. These ideas are generally extended and your position—that authorities and individuals must act together—remains clear. Some claims, however, are broad or not fully explained: for example, the link between plastic decomposition and diseases such as asthma and cancer would benefit from a clearer explanation, and the individual actions could be developed with a specific example of how recycling or reducing packaging helps.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The response has a clear overall progression: an introduction, a paragraph on environmental damage, separate paragraphs for government and individual solutions, and a conclusion. This structure makes the two parts of the task easy to follow. You use a range of linking expressions, including “However,” “Ultimately,” “Consequently,” and “Moreover,” and the contrast between the two solution paragraphs is clear. At times, however, connections feel formulaic or the relationship between ideas is not fully explicit. For instance, the sentence beginning “Ultimately” moves quickly from soil nutrients to air pollution and marine consumption. Grouping these effects more clearly, and using pronouns with precise references, would make the progression smoother and cohesion more flexible.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “non-biodegradable,” “toxic substances,” “single use,” “recyclable materials,” and “imposing heavy taxes.” These choices help communicate the environmental problem and possible responses. There are also several spelling and word-choice errors that limit precision, such as “recongnized,” “affect” where “effect” is intended, “consuption,” and “emision.” Some combinations are unnatural or inaccurate, including “blockages soil nutrients,” “plastic water bottlers,” and “terminate unnecessary expenditure.” Aim for accurate collocations and word forms, and check spelling carefully. More precise phrasing would make your ideas sound more natural without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including a relative clause in “which later gets mixed” and a concession beginning “Although plastic is affordable.” Most sentences remain understandable, and the range is suitable for explaining causes and solutions. Some grammatical errors persist, particularly with subject–verb agreement and verb forms: “products … contaminates” should use a plural verb, while “a substance which take” needs a singular verb. The construction “One of the key solutions … are” also has a subject–verb agreement problem. In addition, “Consumption of these cause diseases” has an unclear plural reference and agreement issue. Review agreement in longer sentences and make sure each pronoun clearly refers to the intended noun; this will improve accuracy while preserving your varied sentence forms.

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