Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

It is an irrefutable truth that plastic products such as bottles , bags and plastic packaging have an adverse impact on environment . This essay will not mention only about its effects on natural world but also solutions that should be done by people and law-makers .

On the one hand, without any doubt plastic-made objects have been influencing to nature in different ways . Firts and foremost affect is air- pollution. To explain it, as plastic need long time to decompose so when it is burned , it relaeses harmful gasses which pollute the environment , due to this, mostly people become victim of various health-problems .Moreover, as plastic waste does not easily decomposed so when it is eaten by stray animals , some they face issues and some are died . It is mentioned by survey by the Henderson coolege that 60% animals are dissapeared because of swallowing plastic. Hence, increasing uses of plastic packaging harms wildlife.

Onnthe other hand, Many of steps can be taken by both individuals and goverment. Firstly, governement should impose heavy taxes on plastic users . To clarify, in order to save sourroundings, goverment bodies can realese advertise to mention about rax policies which may spread awareness as well . For example, if state makes campaigns through advertisements , it might not be spread awareness about safe-environment but also prevent to platics consumers to use this , as high taxes will make them mire expensive.

Secondly, folks also can save enviornment by prohibiting single use plastic as it creates lots of pollution . So , when people will carry only eco-friendly bags , it might be helpful for both environment and consumers, beacuse they do not need to buy always bags for shopping they just reuse it which help them a lit to save money as well.

In a nutshell, although plastic araise many serious problem in air-pollution and wildlife

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

The response addresses both questions: it identifies harm to air quality and wildlife, then proposes government taxes and public campaigns alongside individuals reusing eco-friendly bags. These are relevant points, and the animal example attempts to support the discussion. However, the explanation of environmental damage is narrow: air pollution is linked mainly to burning plastic, while other effects such as persistent litter or harm to marine ecosystems are not explored. The solutions also need clearer explanation of how they would work; for instance, the tax proposal is mentioned but not developed beyond making plastic more expensive. The conclusion is incomplete and does not summarise the proposed response. Develop each main idea with a clear cause-and-effect explanation and finish with a complete concluding statement.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for environmental damage and solutions, and an attempted conclusion. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “Secondly” helps readers identify the main sections. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow because ideas are joined mechanically or the links are unclear. For example, the sentence about taxes moves from imposing them to advertising policies and then to awareness without clearly showing how these points connect. Some references, such as “this” in “prevent … consumers to use this,” are unclear. The final paragraph also ends abruptly, weakening the overall organisation. Use fewer formulaic transitions, make each paragraph follow a clear sequence, and ensure pronouns refer unmistakably to a specific idea.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The response uses some topic-related vocabulary, including “decompose,” “harmful gases,” “wildlife,” “single use plastic,” and “eco-friendly bags,” so the reader can understand the general subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, such as “influencing to nature,” “safe-environment,” and “prevent to plastics consumers to use this.” Spelling errors are also noticeable, including “Firts,” “relaeses,” “dissapeared,” and “enviornment,” and these reduce the clarity and polish of the writing. Aim for precise, natural combinations such as “damage the natural environment” and “discourage consumers from using plastic.” Proofread carefully and choose vocabulary that expresses the intended meaning directly.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The writer attempts both simple and complex sentences, including a reason clause beginning “as plastic need long time to decompose” and a conditional sentence beginning “if state makes campaigns.” However, complex structures are often faulty, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to interpret. Examples include “as it is eaten by stray animals, some they face issues and some are died,” where clause structure and verb forms are problematic, and “when people will carry,” where the future form is not appropriate after “when” in this construction. There are also recurring problems with articles, agreement, and sentence boundaries, as in “plastic products … have an adverse impact on environment.” Practise building accurate clauses first, then combine them; check subject–verb agreement, verb forms, articles, and punctuation during revision.

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