Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-21

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 6.0)

Plastic materials in general are hazardous for the ennvironment. Specially buring plastic and dumping them into the streets and in the ocean.

Plastic does a lot of damage to the environment. Firstly, buring plastic as waste material to dispose it off creats dangerous gases which are harmful for the environment and for the people living around and breathing them. People cough because of the buring of plastic and its smoke. It often leads to lung diseases often. Secondly, dumping plastic in the streets creates a lot of pollution as plastic is not bio degradeable it says there if not disposed off properly or picked up and cleaned from the streets by a government entity. Because of this the streets and specially the city looks dirty. Thirdly, plastic is often dumped in the ocean and it is very dangerous for the marine life. The sea animals are often hurt by sharp plastic objects. Plastic also settles at the base of the sea where marine animals home and sanctuary are located. For example I watched in a documentary that becuase of the plastic pollution in the sea bed where some of the fishes lay their eggs, they have abadoned that place and sometimes don't even find other places to lay their eggs. This results in extinction of those species of fish. It disturbs the natural cycle and life of marine animals.

The governments must ensure proper waste disposal of plastic materials as plastic is a reusable product, it should create a system of seperate dustbins and waste disposal of plastic materials so they can be sold again to factories and are reused intead of being thrown around the streets or burned. Other than that the government must also take care of their costal lines and seas which comes under their jurisdiction and make sure that none of the plastic materials are thrown into the seas. The government can also organize programs for sea and beach cleaning that involve the residents of the city to take active participation in it so they are educated in proper waste disposal, plus the government can also organise small programs in schools to educate them about the dangerous effects of plastic pollution and train them on how to be a responsible citizen. The government can also raise taxes on plastic products so that people can go for the alternative solutions.

So to summarize, plastic is extremely harmful for the environment and the government should take steps in educating the citizens about it. The government must also create laws and policies to reduce the use of plastic. This is not only the responsibility of the government but also the citizens and together both can overcome this problem.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the question: it explains environmental damage and proposes actions for governments and citizens. The examples of harmful smoke, street pollution and risks to marine life are relevant, and the documentary example helps illustrate the effect on fish breeding grounds. The government proposals—separate bins, recycling, coastal clean-ups, school education and taxes—show a good range of relevant ideas. However, some points are asserted rather than fully explained: for instance, the link between plastic pollution and the extinction of fish species needs more careful support, and individual actions are less clearly developed than government measures. A clearer explanation of how people themselves can reduce plastic use would make the response more complete and developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall structure, moving from environmental harms to solutions and then to a conclusion. The numbered sequence of effects (“Firstly,” “Secondly,” “Thirdly”) makes the damage section easy to follow, while the final paragraph restates the main position. However, cohesion is sometimes mechanical, with repeated transitions and repeated references to “the government.” Some sentences also contain several ideas joined together, particularly in the solutions paragraph, which makes the progression harder to track. The opening fragment, “Specially buring plastic and dumping them into the streets and in the ocean,” is not smoothly connected to the first sentence. Use clearer paragraph-level links and divide long sentences so each proposed action and its purpose are easy to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “hazardous,” “marine life,” “waste disposal,” “jurisdiction” and “pollution.” These choices help communicate the main ideas, and the meaning is generally understandable. However, spelling errors and imprecise or unnatural combinations reduce accuracy, such as “ennvironment,” “buring,” “bio degradeable,” “costal lines” and “seperate dustbins.” Some wording is also repetitive, especially “plastic materials” and “the government,” and phrases such as “the city looks dirty” are less precise than the topic allows. Aim to check spelling carefully and use more exact environmental collocations, while varying repeated terms. This would make the vocabulary more controlled and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and more complex sentence forms, including clauses beginning with “as,” “because” and “so,” and most ideas remain understandable. Some grammatical errors occur, however, and sentence boundaries are not always controlled. The opening “Specially buring plastic…” is a fragment, while “Plastic does a lot of damage… Firstly, buring plastic…” includes an awkward construction that would be clearer as “Burning plastic to dispose of it creates…”. Agreement and article use also need attention in “marine animals home and sanctuary are located” and “the government must also take care of their costal lines.” Several long sentences in the solutions paragraph would benefit from being split. Review sentence completeness, subject–verb agreement and pronoun reference.

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