Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-22

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 bags, bottle and plastic packaging are significantly unhealthy for our environment. However, the excessive use of plastics has caused serios environmental damage. This essay will discuss the potentil effects of plastics and suggest possible solutions that government and individual can take.

One of the main problem caused by plastics is environmental pollution. The large number of plastic wastes ends up in river, oceans or various natural areas which harm wildlife. For example, marine animals may swallow plastic bags or trapped in plastices waste which leads to serious injuries or death. Furthermore, many plastics itms are non-biodegradable and would remain for long period of time. These waste could block the drainage systems which lincrease the risk of urban flooding.

There are several ways to address this issue. Firstly, the government should take strict measures on the production of plastic material by charging penalty fro the company which reduces it's consumption and encourage them to work on eco-friendly packaging. Moreover, the governmental authorities could make a policy of usage of single plastic bags for multipurpose usage and ban the further purchases. Secondly, individuals can also play a crucial role for the well-being of society and make their environment plastic-free for many generations. they should avoid use of unncessary plastic materials and make reuse plastic containers. In addition, people can separate biodegradable and plastic wastes fom bins. This could help to reach on plastics products conveniently and would be use in recycling.

In conclusion, plastic pollution creats considerable damage to our environment by effecting on natural wild life and could potential risk of flooding. Therefore, government should play active role in the implication of strict policies over plastic consumption, also individual should take effective measures in promoting recycling and limit the use of plastic material.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the question and maintains a clear position: plastic harms wildlife and can contribute to flooding, while governments and individuals should reduce use and improve recycling. The examples of animals swallowing or becoming trapped in plastic and waste blocking drainage make the environmental effects relevant. The proposed actions—penalties for companies, restrictions on bags, avoiding unnecessary plastics, and sorting waste—also cover both groups. However, some points are not fully explained: the proposed policy about single-use bags is difficult to understand, and the recycling point does not clearly explain how separating waste leads to effective recycling. Developing these ideas with clearer mechanisms or a specific example would make the response more complete and persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, a paragraph on environmental damage, a paragraph of solutions, and a conclusion. Sequencing is generally easy to follow, and signposts such as “Furthermore,” “Firstly,” and “Secondly” help distinguish points. The progression within paragraphs is sometimes less controlled, however. In the solutions paragraph, the shift from government penalties to the unclear policy on bags, then to individual actions, makes the relationship between proposals harder to follow. Some references are also vague, such as “These waste” and “This could help,” whose intended meanings are not fully clear. Use more precise referencing and explain each proposal before moving to the next; this would make cohesion less mechanical and the argument more consistently connected.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The response uses relevant topic vocabulary, including “environmental pollution,” “non-biodegradable,” “drainage systems,” “eco-friendly packaging,” and “recycling.” These choices show an attempt to discuss the issue beyond basic terms. However, noticeable spelling errors and inaccurate word choices reduce precision, including “serios,” “potentil,” “plastices,” “unncessary,” and “creats.” Some collocations are also unnatural: “significantly unhealthy for our environment,” “make their environment plastic-free,” and “reach on plastics products conveniently” do not express the intended ideas clearly. Build accuracy by checking spelling and learning common environmental collocations, such as “harm the environment,” “reduce plastic consumption,” and “sort waste for recycling.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

There is some variety in sentence structure, including complex clauses with “which,” “which leads to,” and “by charging,” and the main ideas are generally understandable. However, grammatical control is uneven, particularly in agreement, articles, verb forms, and sentence boundaries. Examples include “One of the main problem,” “many plastics itms … would remain,” and “individual should take,” where number or article choices need correction. The sentence beginning “For example” also needs a parallel structure: animals may “swallow” bags or “become trapped” in waste. Capitalisation after the full stop in “they should” and the comma splice in the conclusion should be corrected. Practise checking each sentence for subject–verb agreement and complete, correctly joined clauses.

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