Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-20

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)

Today lets discuss about topic on "Plastic bags, plastic bottles and plastic packaging are bad for the environment". In today's world, plastic bags, bottles, and packages are essential part of our day to day life. We use these materials on various occasions especially, when we are out for shopping.

Lets understand how our day to day requirement i.e use of plastic materials can have an affect on the environment. As we see, this creates lot of damage to our enviroment if this is not handled responsibly. One of the major damage it can cause to enviroment is that soil pollution. We have noticed when these plastics come in contact with soil, it can not be decomposed in soil. This will remain on earth's soil for hundreds of years emmiting harmful gases and chemicals infused into the soil. Further, this will have an affect on earth's fertile lands affecting agriculture and harvesting. This will have snowball effects in the downline which is life threatning for humans and ecosystem.

Now question becomes urgent how can we live our live with this condition? Well there are lot of measures that governments can take measures and actions which can solve this problem. Most efficient measure would be if goverments can impose strict guidelines for waste management. Urge citizens to segregate wet and dry waste. Later, this can used for recycling and fertile composites for agriculture requirements. Another effective measure governments can take to increase number of bins on most popular locations. This can help to manage litter in the country. Some goverments proposed of using organic materials which can be decomposed and safe for the enviroment.

In conclusion, plastic bags, bottles, and packaging materials are essential which are part of our daily life. Instead of completely removing from using, we need to learn how we can responsibly use plastic and support goverment's initiatives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both parts of the task: you explain that plastic persists in soil and can harm fertile land, and you suggest government action such as waste-management rules, waste separation, more bins, and organic alternatives. Your conclusion also gives a clear general position: plastic should be used responsibly rather than eliminated entirely. However, the environmental effects are developed mainly through soil pollution; other relevant damage, such as harm to wildlife, waterways, or marine ecosystems, is not explored. Some proposed solutions are also brief: for example, you mention recycling and compost-like materials without explaining how these would reduce plastic waste. Develop these points with specific examples and clearer cause-and-effect reasoning.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, moving from an introduction to environmental damage, then solutions, and finally a conclusion. Paragraphing helps the reader follow this progression, and signposts such as “Further” and “In conclusion” make the stages visible. However, some linking is mechanical or unclear. “Now question becomes urgent” is an abrupt transition, while “This will have snowball effects in the downline” does not clearly identify the consequences being referred to. The solutions paragraph also shifts quickly between waste rules, bins, and organic materials. Use more precise referencing and connect each measure to the specific problem it addresses, so the progression feels smoother and less list-like.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “soil pollution,” “waste management,” “segregate,” “recycling,” and “ecosystem,” which helps communicate the main ideas. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “impose strict guidelines.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive: “major damage” would be more naturally expressed as “major form of damage,” and “fertile composites for agriculture requirements” is unclear. Spelling errors such as “enviroment,” “goverments,” and “threatning” also reduce accuracy. Build a more precise range of environmental terms and check spelling, while avoiding repeated use of “damage,” “measure,” and “affect.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “if this is not handled responsibly” and a relative clause in “which can be decomposed and safe for the environment.” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “plastic bags, bottles, and packages are essential part” needs an article, and “this can used for recycling” is missing “be.” The opening “Today lets discuss about topic” has problems with sentence construction and punctuation, while “how can we live our live” contains an incorrect plural form. Review articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries, and proofread each sentence to improve control without sacrificing your attempts at complex structures.

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