Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-10-27

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 products are widely used in our daily lives which is entirely dangerous for the environment. To address this issue, authorities and individuals plays an significant role for the safer and cleaner environment.This essay will delve into the various reasons, why it is surging and what initivates should be taken to cease it.

The excessive use of plastic products poses a serious threat to the environment. People usually throw bottles or bags in the lakes or beaches, which is extremely harmful to the marine animals as they consume it by mistake which can lead to death or injury. Consequently, the widespread use of single-use plastics exacerbates the problem of pollution directly.

Government should promote reusable alternatives to minimise the environmental impact of plastic waste. They should encourage people to adopt environmentally friendly options and install trash bins especially at the public places to solve this problem. For example, Dubai is the cleanest city because of rigourous policies by the higher authorities such as imposing fine to the people who throw clutter on the roads. These stringent rules should be imposed in every country for the betterment of the environment.

To conclude, people should restrict the useage of sythentic products for their better health and save other living organisms, avoid using single-use packaging. On the other side, government should be strict and limit the use of plastic products while manufacturing so that people should start using other alternatives.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the question: you identify harm to marine animals and pollution, then suggest government action such as promoting reusable products, providing bins and imposing fines. However, the environmental damage is only briefly explained, and the solutions focus mainly on government; the role individuals can take is not developed clearly beyond the concluding call to avoid single-use packaging. The Dubai example supports enforcement, but its relevance would be stronger if you explained how the policy reduces plastic waste. The response also falls 13 words short of the required minimum. To develop the response further, explain additional effects, such as plastic persisting in ecosystems, and give specific, practical actions individuals can take.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, a paragraph on environmental harm, a paragraph on government measures and a conclusion. This makes the main line of argument easy to follow, and linking expressions such as “Consequently,” “For example” and “To conclude” help signal relationships between ideas. The progression is not always smooth, however. The introduction promises to discuss why plastic use is increasing, but the essay does not fulfil that point, and the conclusion introduces manufacturing limits without developing them in the body. Some connections are also unclear, particularly “On the other side,” which does not accurately signal a contrast. Keep the introduction aligned with the points you will cover and connect each proposed measure to its expected result.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic-related vocabulary, including “marine animals,” “single-use plastics,” “environmental impact” and “reusable alternatives.” These choices make the subject clear, and attempts at more formal language such as “stringent rules” show some ambition. However, several inaccurate or awkward choices reduce precision: “what initivates should be taken” is unclear, “throw clutter” is not a natural phrase for littering, and “usage of synthetic products” does not express the intended idea accurately. There are also spelling errors, including “rigourous,” “initivates” and “sythentic.” Aim for natural collocations and check spelling carefully; precise wording will make your arguments more convincing without requiring unnecessarily complex vocabulary.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “which can lead to death or injury” and a purpose clause in “so that people should start using other alternatives.” The main ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors recur and occasionally make relationships less clear. For example, “authorities and individuals plays” has a subject–verb agreement error, while “a significant role for” uses an unsuitable grammatical pattern. In “People usually throw bottles or bags … which is … harmful,” the pronoun reference and agreement are unclear. There are also missing spaces after full stops and inconsistent sentence punctuation. Practise agreement, articles and clause construction, then proofread each sentence for clear references and boundaries.

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