Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-17
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)
It is often considered that environmental issues has been raised by the usage of plastics either plastic bags or plastic bottles. Throughout this essay, I will discuss that how environment is affected by the plastic and I will also highlight the roles which can be done by government and citizens to solve this problem.
We all aware that in the modern era plastic is commonly used everywhere because it is easy to carry and recycle. We are not aware that at the end of a day we through it in a garbage. It is unable to decompose and stays in the environment for many years.It damages atmosphere, since people burn waste products and it produces cautious gas which involves in the air. As a results, when people inhale carbondioxide, it damages their immune system and they may suffer from several medical issues. Additionally, in an excessive windy season, sometimes it contacts with water. Marine animals eats it which afftects their healths, so directly it is also affects water.
From my perpective, government and citizens both can play an esseential role to resolve this issue because government allows companies to sell their products in the plastic as well as people through it without any hesitation due to unawareness of the sideeffects of the plastic. Government should be band plastic shoppers and introduce different material same as milo company replaced their plastic straws with paper straws. They also responsible to make aware campaings with the help of science background who can make powerful presentations to spread knowledge of this issue. Same as, we are living in a digital world, people are able to search the detrimental effects of plastics and their solutions. Instead of scrolling social media people are responsible to diagnosis the solutions of current plastic issues.
To sum up, plastic exebarated the damages and health issues but with holistic approach both government and citizens are equal responsible to find out the best approch to resolve this issue by cordination and self awareness.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
You address both parts of the prompt and maintain a relevant focus. The environmental effects include persistent waste, air pollution from burning plastic, and harm to marine animals; your proposed responses include government restrictions and public awareness. The example of replacing plastic straws with paper ones helps make the policy point concrete. However, some ideas are unclear or not fully explained: the link between plastic waste, windy conditions and water is difficult to follow, and the health effects of inhaling carbon dioxide are asserted without support. The solutions also need more specific explanation, particularly what individuals can do beyond searching online. Develop each main point with a clear cause-and-effect explanation or a relevant example.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on environmental damage, a paragraph on solutions, and a conclusion. This gives the reader a recognisable progression through the task. You also use linking expressions such as “Additionally,” “As a result,” and “To sum up.” At times, however, connections are mechanical or unclear. For example, “in an excessive windy season, sometimes it contacts with water” does not clearly connect to the preceding point, and “Same as” does not effectively introduce the comparison about individual responsibility. Some references, including “it” and “they,” have uncertain antecedents. Use more precise transitions and make the relationship between each sentence explicit.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You attempt vocabulary suited to the topic, including “decompose,” “marine animals,” “detrimental effects,” and “holistic approach.” However, inaccurate word choice, spelling and collocation are noticeable and sometimes make ideas difficult to understand. Examples include “cautious gas” for the gas produced by burning waste, “band plastic shoppers” for a proposed ban on plastic bags, and “diagnosis the solutions” where a phrase such as “identify solutions” is needed. There are also misspellings such as “perpective,” “afftects,” and “coordination.” Aim for accurate, natural combinations of words rather than choosing more formal-sounding terms that do not fit the meaning. Proofreading for spelling and word forms would improve clarity.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You use both simple and more complex sentence forms, including a reason clause with “since” and a result clause beginning “As a result.” The overall meaning is generally recoverable, but some grammatical errors recur and occasionally make sentences hard to follow. For example, “environmental issues has been raised” has a subject–verb agreement problem, while “We all aware” is missing a verb. In “Marine animals eats it,” the subject and verb do not agree, and “it is also affects water” combines incompatible verb forms. Articles, plurals and sentence boundaries also need attention. Practise checking each sentence for a complete verb, agreement and a consistent clause structure, especially in longer sentences.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.