Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-19

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)

In these days, usages of plastic products becoming an major concern in all over the world.This is becuase of accesibility and affordability of these single use of plastic in public.People often use these for their various purposes in their lifes.If this problem cannot be solve at early stage then it can creates many health problems and damage the natural beauty of nature as well as wildlife.However.this can be solved if both authorities and individuals can take neccessary steps towards these issues.

One primary reason of using plastic products are,its avaiablities in markets without restrictions on it.Therefore, more and more sellers and consumers using for their daily activities.For instance,people carry plastice carry bags for their shopings and buy products in these packages.They feel comfortable to hold these products as compare to others clothes bag.Moreover.every shop keeper and supermarkets sell their products ,clothes , and vegetables in these cheap polybags to reduce their expenses on better qualities bags.In addition,massive manufacturing of these non bio-degradable products without any restriction on also increases the interest in people to carry these products .As a result,most of food items packed in plastic containers and packets.Though,people find theses comfortable and convenient to carry these for them.

It can be reduced if the governmnet and local public will help ti minimise its use in their daily routines.Firstly,the authority should make strict laws to ban on single-use plastics.Therefore ,people avoid to use and carry these polybags .For instance,banning on plastic straw and plasctic cups will discourage individuals to use ,they should encourage to use steel straw or wooden class and paper glass in the markets of outside the houses.Another effective measure is provide awaerness camp regardinf envornment protection and its importance for future generation.Besides,schools and other communities centres should teach everyones to use bio-degradable products for their shopings. Such as papper bags and bamboo bags which don not harm the nature.

In conclusion,most of people use plastic products for their daily purposes. They find them easy to carry and affordable to buy.However,they should taught about its negative impact on earth and future .Government should bann on manufacturing industries which produce large amount of plastics for various purposes.Nevetherless,people should avoid to use these products in their dailly life.These small steps can make a large difference in future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both the causes and possible responses, and your position—that governments and individuals should act—is clear in the introduction and conclusion. However, the task asks specifically what damage plastic causes, and this part is only briefly covered through general references to “health problems,” “wildlife,” and harm to nature. Most of the essay instead explains why plastic is convenient and how its use might be reduced. The proposed measures, such as banning single-use items and raising awareness, are relevant, but their likely effects are not explained in much detail. To strengthen the response, describe concrete environmental consequences, such as plastic entering waterways, harming animals through ingestion or entanglement, and persisting in soil and oceans, then develop how each proposed action would address them.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph about plastic use, a paragraph of proposed solutions, and a conclusion. This makes the main stages easy to identify. You also use linking expressions such as “For instance,” “Moreover,” and “In conclusion.” However, the progression is not always smooth: the second paragraph focuses on availability and convenience rather than clearly developing environmental damage, and some links are mechanical or confusing, including “Though” at the start of a sentence. References such as “these” and “it” are sometimes unclear, and punctuation spacing makes several ideas run together. Organise the body around the two task questions, and use clearer topic sentences and more precise referencing to make the connections between points easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “single-use plastics,” “non bio-degradable,” “strict laws,” and “bio-degradable products.” These choices show an attempt to discuss the issue beyond very basic terms. However, the range is limited and several word choices, forms, and spellings are inaccurate or awkward, sometimes making the meaning less clear: “usages of plastic products,” “accessibility,” “shopings,” and “wooden class” are examples. Some phrases are also unnatural, such as “damage the natural beauty of nature” and “ban on manufacturing industries.” Aim for accurate collocations and topic-specific terms, for example “plastic pollution,” “marine life,” “decompose,” and “restrict the production of.” Proofreading spelling and checking whether a phrase sounds natural will improve clarity.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including conditional forms such as “If this problem cannot be solve…” and clauses introduced by “which” and “though.” This gives the response some structural variety. However, complex sentences are often faulty, and errors in agreement, verb forms, articles, and sentence boundaries can make the reader pause. Examples include “usages … becoming,” “a major concern,” “this problem cannot be solve,” “it can creates,” and “most of people use.” There are also incomplete or poorly connected constructions, such as “Another effective measure is provide awareness camp.” Work on reliable sentence patterns first: use a correct subject and verb, check singular/plural agreement, and ensure each sentence has a complete main clause. More accurate control of these basics will make your ideas easier to understand.

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.