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)

Plastics are not friendly for environment. As they cannot dissolve in soil and diminish the fertility of the soil. And it releases harmful gases. This essay will discuss about the problems and measures taken by the government and residents.

First and foremost, plastics cannot be recycled and resue. Researcher have to burn the plastic waste, which release poisonous gases such as: Ethen, carbon in the environment. This can lead to threat on flora and fauna. According to a research in 2025, breathing these gases have a severe threat on living beings existence and it can lead to various medical problems like asthma, lung cancer in humans. Secondly, it has an adverse impact on the fertility of the soil. Adding to this, this brings disturbance in the ecological cycle.

On the other side, Governments are taking several measures to spread awareness in society. Most of the schools and colleges running daily workshops and activities to encourage people to save the planet and say no to plastics. Furthermore, a huge campaign is following on social networking sites, which motivates people to adopt jute bags, and fabric bags. Moreover, government has ban plastics in cities. This restriction helps people to switch to consume more bio-degradable things. Which can bring sustainability in environment.

In conclusion, awareness plays a vital role to inform people about severity to save the environment for better future prospects. In my view, all measure should be taken into strict consideration to minimize the problems and to make this planet greener.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the task: you identify environmental damage, including harm to soil fertility and wildlife, and suggest government awareness campaigns, school activities and restrictions on plastic. The examples of asthma and lung cancer also help explain possible effects on people. However, the discussion is only partly developed. The claim that plastics “cannot be recycled” is too broad, and the essay does not explain clearly how plastic waste harms ecosystems, for example through animals ingesting it or becoming trapped in it. The proposed solutions focus mainly on awareness and bans; practical actions individuals can take are not clearly explained. Develop each main point with a more precise explanation or example, and make the distinction between government and individual responsibilities clearer.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on environmental damage, a paragraph on responses, and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “First and foremost,” “Secondly,” and “Furthermore” help readers follow the main points. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. “On the other side” does not accurately signal the shift to solutions, and “Which can bring sustainability in environment” is an incomplete sentence whose link to the previous idea is not fully clear. The opening also uses sentence fragments beginning “As” and “And,” which interrupt the flow. Use fewer formulaic transitions and connect each explanation directly to the point it supports; clearer referencing would make the progression smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “fertility of the soil,” “ecological cycle,” “poisonous gases,” and “bio-degradable,” which helps communicate the subject. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “adverse impact” and “plays a vital role.” However, the range is limited and several inaccurate word choices or collocations make meaning less precise: “resue” appears to mean “reuse,” “threat on flora and fauna” is unnatural, and “severity to save the environment” does not express the intended idea clearly. Spelling and word formation also need attention, as in “Ethen” and “bio-degradable.” Build a more accurate set of environmental terms and check that each phrase fits its context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentence forms, including the relative clause in “Researcher have to burn the plastic waste, which release poisonous gases” and the conditional idea “This can lead to…”. However, control is inconsistent, and errors sometimes make the relationships between ideas difficult to follow. The opening contains fragments: “As they cannot dissolve in soil…” and “And it releases harmful gases.” There are also problems with subject–verb agreement and sentence structure, such as “Most of the schools and colleges running daily workshops” and the fragment “Which can bring sustainability in environment.” Articles and plural forms are also often missing or incorrect. Practise writing complete sentences, checking each subject against its verb, and using clauses to connect causes and effects accurately.

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