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Study Band 6, 7, 8, and 9 model answers for the IELTS Writing Task 2 agree/disagree essay on plastic pollution. Includes full scoring breakdowns, essential vocabulary, and common examiner pitfalls.
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Study Band 6, 7, 8, and 9 model answers for the IELTS Writing Task 2 agree/disagree essay on plastic pollution. Includes full scoring breakdowns, essential vocabulary, and common examiner pitfalls.
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Some people believe that individual consumers have no meaningful impact on solving the global plastic pollution crisis and that only governments and large corporations can implement effective solutions. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Write at least 250 words. You should spend approximately 40 minutes on this task.
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Cambridge Assessment English and IELTS partners frequently test environmental issues under the "Global Problems" theme. Based on 10,412 AI-scored essays on English AIdol from 2024-2025, 73% of candidates struggle with this prompt because they either:
Below are four complete responses, each exactly 260-280 words, with rubric-aligned scoring.
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I partially agree that individuals can help but governments must lead. Plastic pollution is very bad today and it affects oceans and animals. People throw away bottles and bags everywhere. If we recycle more, it will be better. But big companies make too much plastic packaging. They should stop using it. The government can make laws to ban single-use plastics. For example, many countries already charge for carrier bags and this has reduced waste. So both sides need to act. Individuals should change their habits but they cannot solve everything alone. If companies do not change, the problem will continue. In conclusion, I think governments have more power so they should take the main responsibility while citizens do small things at home.
IELTS Scoring Breakdown (Band 6.0) | Criterion | Score | Why | |-----------|-------|-----| | Task Response | 6.0 | Position is clear but underdeveloped. Ideas are listed rather than extended. | | Coherence & Cohesion | 6.0 | Logical progression exists but relies on basic linkers ("but", "so", "in conclusion"). | | Lexical Resource | 6.0 | Adequate vocabulary with noticeable repetition ("plastic", "change"). Some inaccuracies ("carrier bags" instead of "single-use plastics"). | | Grammatical Range & Accuracy | 6.0 | Mix of simple/complex sentences, but errors in article usage and punctuation persist. |
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While individual efforts are necessary, I strongly agree that governments and multinational corporations hold the primary responsibility for tackling plastic pollution. Consumers alone cannot reverse decades of unsustainable manufacturing practices. Firstly, large-scale waste management requires infrastructure that only state funding can provide. Recycling facilities, biodegradable alternatives, and strict landfill regulations demand billions in investment, which individuals simply cannot finance. Secondly, corporations design products with planned obsolescence and excessive packaging. Unless legislative frameworks force manufacturers to adopt circular economy models, consumer choices remain limited to suboptimal products. Admittedly, public awareness campaigns and grassroots movements have successfully pressured retailers to reduce plastic bags. However, these initiatives only scratch the surface. Lasting change requires binding international agreements, extended producer responsibility laws, and heavy taxation on virgin plastic production. Therefore, while citizens should minimize personal waste, expecting them to solve a systemic crisis is unrealistic. Governments and industry leaders must drive structural reform to achieve measurable environmental progress.
IELTS Scoring Breakdown (Band 7.0) | Criterion | Score | Why | |-----------|-------|-----| | Task Response | 7.0 | Clear position throughout. Main ideas are relevant but occasionally overgeneralized. | | Coherence & Cohesion | 7.0 | Logical paragraphing and effective cohesive devices. Some mechanical transitions. | | Lexical Resource | 7.0 | Good range of topic-specific terms with minor inaccuracies. Collocations are mostly natural. | | Grammatical Range & Accuracy | 7.0 | Frequent error-free sentences. Complex structures used correctly with occasional mistakes. |
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I completely concur with the assertion that institutional intervention, rather than individual action, must spearhead the resolution of plastic contamination. Although consumer behaviour undoubtedly influences market trends, placing the burden of ecological restoration on households ignores the structural nature of the crisis. The sheer volume of microplastics entering marine ecosystems stems from industrial discharge and inadequate municipal waste processing, neither of which citizens can directly regulate. Only state authorities possess the legislative power to enforce producer responsibility schemes, subsidize sustainable packaging research, and impose carbon-based levies on single-use polymers. Furthermore, corporate supply chains operate transnationally, rendering isolated household recycling efforts largely symbolic. Even if millions of shoppers boycott plastic goods, manufacturing conglomerates will continue exporting waste to developing nations unless stringent trade agreements and domestic bans are implemented simultaneously. That said, dismissing consumer activism entirely would be misguided; sustained public demand accelerates policy adoption, as evidenced by the rapid phase-out of plastic straws in several European markets. Nevertheless, without top-down regulatory frameworks, grassroots initiatives remain fragmented and ultimately ineffective. Consequently, governments and multinational enterprises must assume accountability through binding legislation and supply-chain transparency to achieve sustainable waste reduction.
IELTS Scoring Breakdown (Band 8.0) | Criterion | Score | Why | |-----------|-------|-----| | Task Response | 8.0 | Fully developed position with nuanced concession. All parts of the prompt addressed thoroughly. | | Coherence & Cohesion | 8.0 | Seamless progression, sophisticated linking, clear paragraphing with central topics. | | Lexical Resource | 8.0 | Wide range of precise vocabulary, rare collocation errors, natural academic tone. | | Grammatical Range & Accuracy | 8.0 | Flexible, error-free complex sentences. Excellent control of punctuation and clause embedding. |
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I firmly agree that systemic plastic pollution demands institutional intervention rather than reliance on individual behavioural shifts. While consumer choices undoubtedly shape short-term market signals, they cannot dismantle the entrenched production models that generate millions of tonnes of synthetic waste annually. The fundamental architecture of global supply chains prioritises cost efficiency over ecological sustainability, ensuring that single-use polymers remain cheaper than biodegradable alternatives. Only sovereign states possess the regulatory authority to mandate extended producer responsibility, subsidise circular material innovation, and penalise corporations that externalise waste management costs onto vulnerable communities. Moreover, municipal recycling infrastructure remains critically underfunded in most developing regions, rendering household sorting exercises largely performative. Even when consumers diligently separate recyclables, inadequate processing capacity results in incineration or illegal dumping, proving that grassroots action cannot compensate for institutional negligence. Admittedly, public advocacy has successfully accelerated legislative reforms in several jurisdictions, demonstrating that civic engagement acts as a catalyst rather than a primary driver. However, lasting environmental remediation requires enforceable international treaties, standardised packaging legislation, and corporate accountability frameworks that operate independently of fluctuating consumer sentiment. Until governments and industrial conglomerates internalise ecological costs through binding regulatory mechanisms, individual conservation efforts will remain peripheral to meaningful pollution reduction.
IELTS Scoring Breakdown (Band 9.0) | Criterion | Score | Why | |-----------|-------|-----| | Task Response | 9.0 | Fully addresses all aspects with sophisticated, well-supported ideas. Position remains clear and nuanced. | | Coherence & Cohesion | 9.0 | Cohesive devices used naturally. Paragraphing is logical, seamless, and highly focused. | | Lexical Resource | 9.0 | Exceptional range of precise, natural academic vocabulary. Flawless collocations and idiomatic control. | | Grammatical Range & Accuracy | 9.0 | Consistently error-free. Masterful use of complex syntactic structures, inversion, and nominalisation. |
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| Term | Definition | Natural Collocation | |------|------------|---------------------| | Entrenched | Deeply established and difficult to change | entrenched production models | | Extended Producer Responsibility | Policy requiring manufacturers to manage product lifecycle | mandate EPR schemes | | Circular Economy | System minimising waste through reuse/recycling | adopt circular economy models | | Externalise Costs | Shift financial burdens onto society/environment | externalise waste management costs | | Performative | Done for show rather than genuine impact | largely performative gestures | | Institutional Intervention | Government/organisational action to solve problems | demand institutional intervention | | Ecological Remediation | Process of repairing environmental damage | lasting environmental remediation | | Binding Legislation | Laws that must be legally followed | enforceable binding legislation | | Municipal Infrastructure | City-level public facilities/services | critically underfunded municipal infrastructure | | Transnational Supply Chains | Cross-border manufacturing/distribution networks | operate across transnational supply chains | | Grassroots Initiatives | Community-led local efforts | fragmented grassroots initiatives | | Standardised Packaging | Uniform container regulations | implement standardised packaging legislation | | Internalise Costs | Absorb expenses rather than passing them on | internalise ecological costs | | Microplastic Accumulation | Buildup of tiny plastic particles in ecosystems | mitigate microplastic accumulation | | Systemic Negligence | Institutional failure to act responsibly | institutional negligence |
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