Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-23

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)

The gradual increase in synthetic plastic objects and harmful microplastics in the Earth's environment raises concerns about the wildlife, ecosystem and human health. The key issue here is low recycling rates of plastic and releasing microplastric and nanoplastic into environment. The most effective remedy is to implement the rules and regulations to avoid usage of plastic by switching with recyclable ones.

There are several reasons of plastic pollution. Firstly, due to the enormous amount of plastic waste is dumped into the rivers and oceans causing water logging which results in flooding and drainage. Therefore, the water is contaminated and hampers on the habitat of aquatic animals and plants. The fishes or other aquatic creatures may consume the microplastic and nanoplastics assuming it as food. Hence, dangerous particles enters into the food chain. They tranfers to primary consumers and secondary consumers leading to life threatening diseases. In addition to that, fishes may get tangled in the plastic covers which leads to their death. For instance, recent survey done by some Biodiversity students shows that 60% of microplastics are found in fishes and kidneys of human beings.

However, the possible solution for aforementioned problem is to impliment rules to charge fine on the companies and consumers who involve in the production or usage of the plastic plastic bags. This results in switching to recycled bags and cloth bags. Secondly, by conducting surveys to create awareness among people about detrimental effects of plastic.

In conclusion, although government regulates the strict rules and charges. I firmly believe that individuals should take actions by switching to sustainable lifestyle and mindful living.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the task: it describes environmental damage, especially harm to aquatic habitats and animals entering the food chain, and proposes government rules and public awareness. The examples of animals becoming entangled and the survey claim help make the discussion relevant. However, the damage to human health is introduced but not clearly explained, and the proposed solutions are less fully developed than the account of pollution. For example, “conducting surveys to create awareness” is mentioned without explaining how this would change behaviour. The position in the conclusion is clear, but the essay would be stronger if each solution were linked to a specific effect and supported with a more clearly explained example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on environmental damage, a paragraph on solutions, and a conclusion. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Therefore,” “In addition to that,” and “Secondly” help readers follow the main points. However, some links are mechanical, and the progression within the first body paragraph is not always clear: the discussion moves from flooding to aquatic life, then to food-chain effects and a survey without fully connecting these points. The phrase “the aforementioned problem” also refers broadly to several different effects. To improve cohesion, group related consequences together and use clearer references, while making the relationship between each cause and result explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The response uses an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “microplastics,” “ecosystem,” “aquatic creatures,” “food chain,” and “sustainable lifestyle.” These terms show an attempt to discuss the issue specifically rather than relying only on general words. Some less common choices are inaccurate or awkward, however, such as “water logging” for the effects of plastic waste in waterways and “mindful living” in this context. There are also spelling errors, including “microplastric,” “tran fers” (written as “tranfers”), and “impliment,” which reduce precision. Aim for natural collocations and check spelling carefully; for example, describe waterways as “blocked” and say that plastic “harms aquatic habitats.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

There is a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including cause-and-effect structures such as “Hence, dangerous particles enters into the food chain” and a concession in the conclusion beginning “although.” The main ideas are generally understandable, but some grammatical errors recur. For example, “due to the enormous amount of plastic waste is dumped” has an incorrect clause structure, while “particles enters” and “They tranfers” show subject–verb agreement problems. Articles and prepositions are also sometimes missing or inaccurate, as in “into environment” and “assuming it as food.” The conclusion’s opening “although government regulates the strict rules and charges” is incomplete in meaning. Review clause construction and agreement, and proofread sentence boundaries and punctuation.

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