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?
Sample Response
It is irrefutable that plastic harms the environment to a great extent. Plastic pollutes landlands and water, degrades the fertility of the soil, and harms animals, thereby disrupting the entire ecosystemharms animals disrupting the entire ecosystem. Recycling plastic and limiting its use while also introducing biodegradable alternatives to plastics are by far the most effective solutions to this problem.
The environmental damagedamages caused by plastic are severe and often extreme. Plastic bags, bottles, packages, toys and many other materials made of plastic remain on land and in waterremain in land and water for hundreds of years as they are not biodegradable. Plastic materials that get mixed with soilPlastic materials, that get mixed with soil, impair the breathability of soil and hamper the water flow throughin it. This harmsThus it hurts the fertility of the land. Moreover, plastic that reaches bodies of waterthe water bodies harms aquatic animals and coral reefs. Plastic pollution plays a considerable part in animal deaths. Today, plastic particles cancould be found in fishfishes, birds and other animals, and it disrupts the entire ecosystem.
However, the relevant authorities and the publicthe authorities concerned and mass people can turn the tide and mend the damage done to the environment to a great extent. For that, they have to ensure that they both play their part efficiently. First, people have to actively participatespontaneously take part in the plastic recycling process by putting plastic waste in a separate recyclingrecycle bin. The authorities haveThe authority has to make sure that all recyclable plastics are properly recycled and reused. To limit the use of plastic bags, people need to use bags made of biodegradable materials like jute fibre. They can start carrying their own glass-made bottle instead of buying plastic water bottles. A reduction in the consumption of plastic materialsReduction in consumption of plastic-made materials could contribute to a large extent in limiting the harmharms caused by plastic. Finally, the government can limit the use of plastic bags and bottles by imposing a hefty tax on such items.
In conclusion, plastic is severely detrimental to the environment and ecosystem. So for our own benefit, we all need to use as little plastic as possible while also recycling the used plastic.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response answers both parts directly, with a clear structure and a useful range of environmental effects and practical measures. Its main weakness is lexical precision: several collocations and word forms sound unnatural despite the generally fluent and varied language. The highest-priority improvement is to replace awkward phrases such as “mass people” and “glass-made bottle” with natural academic wording while retaining the strong development and organisation.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
Both the environmental damage and the roles of governments and individuals are addressed directly with relevant, well-developed ideas.
Support one or two key solutions with more specific explanation of how implementation would reduce plastic pollution.
Coherence and Cohesion
Ideas progress logically through a clear introduction, focused body paragraphs, and a concise conclusion, with cohesive devices used effectively.
Refine a few internal links so that pronouns such as “they” have immediately clear referents.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a broad topic-specific vocabulary, though several collocations and word forms are noticeably unnatural.
Use more idiomatic academic combinations, such as “the general public,” “recycling bin,” and “glass bottle.”
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A wide range of complex sentence forms is handled accurately overall, with only occasional agreement, punctuation, and relative-clause errors.
Proofread complex sentences for restrictive-clause punctuation and agreement between subjects and verbs.
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IELTS Writing Task 2
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?
Your response
Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.