In many countries, plastic containers have become more common than ever and are used by many food and drink companies. Do you think the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
This response is estimated at Band 7.5. Can you write a better one?
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Sample Response
Plastic containers and cutlerycutleries are becoming a ubiquitous part of the experience of eating outeating-out experience. However, I do think that the disadvantages of using plastic in the food and drink industries outweigh the advantages of doing so.
On the one hand, using plastic is convenient for both street vendors and consumers. Most plastic containers can be discarded after a single useafter a single-use, eliminating the need to wash them. Moreover, plastic does not break easily in contrast to glass containers, making them easier to carry around. Another advantagereason is that plastic containers and cutlery are inexpensivecontainers and cutleries are dirt cheap to produce. Because the materials needed to manufacture plastic productssynthesize plastics are readily available, most plastic containers are cheaperare at a lower price than their alternatives, especially in bulk.
On the other handOn the other hand, however, using plastics to store food can pose both health and environmental risksboth a health and an environmental risk. Firstly, most plastic containers end up in the ocean, thereby damaging marine lifewhich will damage marine life. Fish can swallow these plastic cutleries, cannot digest them, and thus die. Plastic is also a major burden on landfillsdetrimental to landfills because it decomposesas they decompose relatively slowly, leading to landfills becoming overloadedlandfill overloads. Secondly, consuming food and drinks from plastic containersconsuming food and drinks using plastic can be harmful. Plastics are known to melt and release toxic compounds when heated, so they should not be used to store hot foodfoods. Another concern is that some plastics contain carcinogens. This means that consumers are at higher riskat a higher risk of developing cancer.
In conclusion, convenience and low prices are reasons why people use plastics to store food and drinks. However, I think that the disadvantages of plastic forto the environment and consumers’ health far outweighoverweigh the advantages of plasticplastics.
Why this response received Band 7.5
The response is strongest in its clear position and balanced organization of practical benefits against environmental and health costs, with each side supported by relevant explanations. Its main limitation is imprecise wording and several overly categorical claims, which reduce the authority of otherwise clear ideas. Use more accurate topic vocabulary and qualify claims about disposal, decomposition, and health effects with more specific reasoning.
IELTS Writing Criteria Scores
Task Response
The essay answers the question directly, maintains a clear position, and develops relevant advantages and disadvantages with supporting explanations.
Develop the comparison more critically by explaining why the environmental and health harms outweigh the convenience and cost benefits, rather than mainly listing them.
Coherence and Cohesion
The four-paragraph structure is clear and progression is easy to follow, with ideas grouped logically and cohesive devices used appropriately.
Strengthen the internal progression of the disadvantages paragraph by connecting each example more explicitly to the overall weighing judgment.
Lexical Resource
The response uses a good range of topic-specific vocabulary, though inaccurate forms and collocations such as “cutleries” and “overweigh” reduce precision.
Use accurate uncountable forms and natural evaluative collocations, particularly “cutlery” and “far outweigh,” and avoid imprecise statements about landfills.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy
A range of complex sentences is handled with generally good control, but several agreement and reference problems remain noticeable.
Check pronoun agreement and clause reference carefully, especially in sentences where plural plastics or containers are followed by singular pronouns.