Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-02

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 5.0)

Plasticbags, plastic bootles and plastic packaging are very bad to the enviroment because the dont decompose.

the arevery dangerouse to the enviroment because they are not decomposable matterials and the keep flying in the enviroment and litter all the places. i had one exprience when i was in the village, there is garden where people dump plastic bottles and when it was farming season we decided to farm in that very land. to farm their was very difficult beacuse hoe could not penetrate the ground because of the plastic bags, something that suppose to take less than 3 days work turn to 7 days work and when we managed to farm there i noticed that crops planted was not well beacuse of the plastic bottles on the ground and we ended up wasting time and money and we did not achieve anything. as you can see above it is very bad to enviroment and the also casuse accident to human. i witnessed a senario where a plastic caused a pregnant woman to fall and plasctic bad has caused the enviromental negative factors in nigeria that our goverment seriously fighting by providing the necessary bin for people to dispose it properly. and i want to use the medium to call on all nigerians to take the acts of disposing plastic bags, plastic bottles properly to save our enviroment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both parts of the question: the farming example shows how discarded plastic can obstruct land use and damage crops, and you mention government bins and public responsibility as possible responses. However, the discussion is only partial and the ideas remain under-developed. Environmental damage is mainly illustrated through one personal incident; explain other effects, such as harm to wildlife or waterways, and make the consequences clearer. The proposed solutions also need more detail about what governments and individuals should do. Your position is present but not consistently developed. The response is 227 words, so it does not meet the 250-word minimum; this limits the space available to explain and support your points.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is some organisation: the response begins with the problem, gives a personal example, and ends by calling for proper disposal. The village farming story provides a recognisable sequence of events. However, the essay is presented as one long paragraph, so the main points are difficult to distinguish. Ideas also move abruptly from damaged crops to an accident involving a pregnant woman and then to government bins. Use separate paragraphs for environmental damage, solutions, and your conclusion, and connect each point with clear transitions. Some links, such as “as you can see above,” are vague, while repeated use of “and” makes the progression feel mechanical.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant vocabulary, including “decompose,” “dispose,” “plastic bottles,” and “environmental,” and the farming example communicates a specific impact. However, the range is limited and several words or phrases are repeated, particularly “plastic” and “environment.” Spelling errors such as “bootles,” “enviroment,” and “plasctic” are noticeable and can slow the reader. Some expressions are also imprecise, including “negative factors” and “take the acts of disposing.” Aim for more precise environmental vocabulary and check spelling carefully. For example, you could describe plastic as “non-biodegradable” and explain that it “contaminates soil” or “harms wildlife.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The response attempts to combine ideas in longer sentences, especially when describing the farming experience, but these structures are often faulty and make parts difficult to follow. For example, “something that suppose to take less than 3 days work turn to 7 days work” has problems with verb forms and sentence structure. There are also frequent errors in agreement and tense, as in “the crops planted was not well,” and missing or incorrect articles and prepositions, as in “there is garden” and “to farm their.” Most sentences rely on simple patterns, with limited accurate control of complex forms. Use shorter sentences to express each stage of the example, then check subject–verb agreement, articles, and verb tense.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.