Y07W30PA - Plastic Pollution in the Oceans

This week you wrote an informative report on plastic pollution in the oceans. Now you'll read another student's report and decide how strong it is. Looking at someone else's work sharpens what you spot — and gives you moves to use in your own writing.

Part 1

The Assessor Scorecard for

Informative – Informative report

Markers look for reports that pick the most important facts and explain a problem clearly for the reader. Check each strand below to see what strong work looks like.

Ideas & Content

Details chosen to show scale and impact — not everything. Facts that help readers understand why the problem matters. Selection that builds a clear picture, not a fact-dump. Details that help readers care, not just know.

  • Significance: selected details that show why this problem matters.

Structure & Cohesion

A clear opening states the topic. Key points develop in a logical order. A closing ties the ideas together. Information grouped by idea, not scattered randomly.

  • Organisation: arrangement that helps readers follow and remember information.

Audience & Purpose

Language is clear and accessible — not overwhelming. Technical terms are explained where needed. Large numbers made meaningful through comparison — 'the size of France.' Readers see the scale in ways they can grasp.

  • Accessibility: explained so the reader understands and cares.

Language Choices

Exact figures where they exist — '8 million tonnes,' not 'a lot.' Comparison to make big numbers real. Concrete examples over general claims. No opinion language — let facts speak.

  • Specific detail: exact numbers and concrete examples.

Conventions

Accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar build trust. Sentence variety keeps readers engaged with a complex topic. Clear paragraphing helps readers follow the logic. Clean conventions make information feel reliable.

  • Clarity: conventions that make information trustworthy and easy to follow.

Part 2

Today’s Marking Targets

Task in one sentence

Write a three-paragraph informative report for a Year 7 geography class explaining the problem of plastic pollution in the oceans.

Let’s Focus

Two strands matter most this week: Ideas & Content and Structure & Cohesion. The topic is complex — pick the facts that show scale, impact and why it matters. Then arrange them so the report builds toward a clear understanding, not just stops.

Ideas & Content

The strongest reports pick specific, powerful details — not everything. 8 million tonnes per year shows scale. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch gives a real example. The 450-1000 year breakdown shows why plastic builds up. Each detail should help the reader's understanding.

What markers scan for

  • Choose facts that show scale and impact.
  • Pick details that help readers feel the problem, not just see it.
  • Leave out facts that don't add to understanding.
  • Let your choices build one clear picture.

Score Bands

  • Basic

    Includes facts but doesn't select them well; feels like a list; doesn't make clear why the problem matters.

  • Strong

    Selects specific details showing both scale and impact; facts are chosen to help readers understand significance.

  • Excellent

    Selects and arranges details to show scale, timeline, impact and ongoing build-up; readers grasp magnitude and urgency.

Structure & Cohesion

A three-paragraph report might open with the problem and its scale, develop key aspects of how and why it matters, then close with the urgency. Transitions should guide the reader: 'This scale matters because…,' 'Beyond volume, the impact includes…'. The report should build, not stop.

What markers scan for

  • Give each paragraph one clear focus.
  • Use transitions that guide readers from one idea to the next.
  • Build toward a conclusion — don't stop abruptly.
  • Group related information together.

Score Bands

  • Basic

    Paragraphing is unclear; facts are scattered; transitions between ideas are weak or missing.

  • Strong

    Clear paragraphing with each paragraph focused; transitions guide the reader; the report builds logically.

  • Excellent

    Strategic organisation shows how ideas link — scale to impact to ongoing build-up; transitions are smooth and purposeful.

Now read · Student sample

Plastic Pollution in the Oceans

Year 7 sample · \~200 words

Student sample for assessment

Written by a Year 7 student in Footscray, VIC, Australia.

Approximately 8 million tonnes of plastic enter the world's oceans every year. This enormous volume continues to accumulate because plastic takes between 450 and 1000 years to partially degrade. Most of the plastic that has ever been produced is still in the environment-less than 10 percent has been recycled. These facts reveal the scale of plastic pollution as a defining environmental problem of our time. The visible impact of plastic pollution affects ocean life directly and immediately. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area of concentrated plastic waste in the Pacific Ocean, covers a region approximately three times the size of France. Within this patch and throughout the oceans, animals become entangled in ghost nets-discarded fishing equipment that continues to trap and kill marine life for years. Plastic also breaks down into microplastics, tiny particles so small they are ingested by fish and seabirds. These microplastics have now been found in human blood, showing that ocean pollution has entered the human food chain. The concentration of plastic pollution near coastlines and river mouths explains where the problem is most urgent. These zones are critical habitats for many marine species and human communities. The ongoing volume of 8 million tonnes entering annually, combined with the centuries plastic takes to break down, means this problem will worsen before it improves. Understanding where and how plastic enters the ocean is essential to developing solutions.