Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · 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 5.0)

Plastic items are not good for the nature and human also plastic is harmful for the health,

but nowadays plastic is in use so often that people are getting use to it more.

Firstly, plastic bottles and bags are used in daily life by folks for their basic needs but the problem is they dont think too much to recycle or to take care if they can use paper bags in place of plastic bags, Plastic is something which is bad for the environment and people have to take care of it, like not using plastic bags or bottles so its better to use paper bags or cloth bag.

Secondly, governments should provide some things to people in replacement of plastic so people use that and dont damage the environment and help people to solve this problem, if people have alternate things they will not use the things which are harmful for environment.

Overall, if the people and government works together they will not face this issue and they should have some fees or punishment for people so they dont do things which are not good for environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You address both questions by mentioning environmental harm and suggesting alternatives, government support, and penalties. However, the damage caused by plastic is not explained: for example, you could describe how discarded bags and bottles pollute waterways, harm wildlife, or persist for many years. The proposed solutions are also general. “Governments should provide some things” does not identify what support or alternatives would be effective, and the role of individuals is only briefly covered. Your position—that governments and people should work together—is present, but the ideas need reasons and relevant examples to answer the task fully. The response is also 62 words below the required minimum, leaving too little space to develop the points.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a basic structure, with an opening, two body paragraphs signalled by “Firstly” and “Secondly,” and a concluding statement beginning “Overall.” This makes the main topics identifiable. However, progression within the paragraphs is limited: the first moves from everyday use to recycling and alternatives without clearly explaining the environmental damage, while the second repeats the idea that alternatives would reduce plastic use. Linking words are also somewhat mechanical, and the long first body sentence joins several ideas with commas. Organise each paragraph around one clear point, then explain it and give an example. This would create a more logical progression and reduce repetition.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use enough basic vocabulary to communicate the general topic, including “recycle,” “harmful,” “environment,” and “punishment.” However, the range is limited and several expressions are imprecise or repetitive, such as “some things,” “basic needs,” and repeated references to “plastic bags or bottles.” “Not good for the nature” and “in replacement of plastic” are also unnatural word choices that make the message less fluent. Build a more specific set of terms for environmental effects and solutions—for example, pollution, wildlife, waste, reusable alternatives, and restrictions—and use them accurately. More precise vocabulary would help you explain your ideas rather than relying on broad phrases.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple statements and longer sentences, and the overall meaning is generally understandable. However, the longer structures are often difficult to control. The opening joins separate ideas with a comma, and the first body paragraph becomes a run-on sentence with several clauses. There are also errors in agreement and verb forms: “the government works together” should be “the government and people work together,” and “people are getting use to it” should be “people are getting used to it.” Missing apostrophes in “dont” and punctuation problems further affect accuracy. Practise separating ideas into complete sentences and checking subject–verb agreement, verb forms, and sentence boundaries.

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