Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-07-25
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
In many countries, people do not recycle their rubbish as much as they could.
Why do you think this is?
What can be done to change this?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 6.5)
In several countries, recycling the household garbage is not at a level as it potentially should. This could be due to an absence of proper waste management system and insufficient motivation for recycling at resident level. However, this challenge can be avoided by developing and implementing garbage collection and management system and by introducing a reward and penalty system. This essay will discuss the aspects in detail.
The primary reason why the residents not recycling their waste is due to unavailability of proper waste management system in their city or rural area. That means, the municipal waste management is not providing the system for sorting out the recyclable waste and as a result people just discard different types of waste - organic, recycle and other - into one. This mixed up garbage either dumped as a land fill or burned away instead of potential recycling or certain type of rubbish. In many cases, even though such facilities are available, people do not make effort to properly sort out the waste so that it gets treated accordingly. This is when there is no strict implementation from the authorities.
The government can take certain measures to tackle this issue. Firstly if the city is lacking the proper system for waste collection and its treatment, the authorities must focus on developing and implement one. This can be done by issuing contracts to private contractors for collecting the different types of waste from households and dump at their designated facilities for further treatment based on the nature of the waste. For instance, The city of Toronto has retained GFL company for collection and treatment of waste in Greater Toronto Area. Further to this, the government should spread awareness about importance of recycling the waste through commercials and campeigns. Moreover, they should introduce reward for as household who follows the system and penalty for breaking the laws so that people take this seriously. These measures will certainly increase the recycling levels.
In conclusion, people in many countries are not recycling their household waste as they could possibly due to not having proper waste management system. However, introducing new syte
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 6.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for low recycling rates and potential solutions. The ideas are relevant and logically developed, such as the lack of infrastructure and the need for government-led awareness campaigns. However, the essay is incomplete, as it cuts off abruptly in the conclusion. This prevents a fully developed final summary, which limits the score. Despite this, the main body paragraphs provide clear, supported arguments, such as the example of waste management in Toronto, which demonstrates a good understanding of the task requirements.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5
The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, with a clear introduction and body sections. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader. However, the abrupt ending significantly disrupts the flow and cohesion of the final paragraph. Referencing is generally clear, though some sentences, such as 'That means, the municipal waste management...', are slightly clunky. Overall, the progression of ideas is logical, but the lack of a finished conclusion impacts the overall coherence.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task. You use topic-specific terms like 'municipal waste management', 'recyclable waste', and 'land fill' effectively. There are some minor errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'resident level' instead of 'household level' or 'at a level as it potentially should'. While you attempt to use some less common vocabulary, the range is somewhat limited. The spelling is mostly accurate, though the unfinished conclusion leaves some vocabulary potential unrealised.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'the residents not recycling' (missing auxiliary verb) and 'implement one' (should be 'implementing'). Some sentences are slightly awkward, such as 'This mixed up garbage either dumped as a land fill or burned away'. While these errors are noticeable, they do not generally impede communication. A wider range of error-free complex structures would be required to reach a higher band score.
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