Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 7.0 · 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 7.0)
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, introduction and strict implementation of proper system can certainly increase the percentage of recycling garbage.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 7.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 7.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 6.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 6.5 |
| Overall | 7.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for low recycling rates and potential solutions. The position is clear throughout, and the ideas are relevant. The explanation regarding the lack of infrastructure is well-supported, and the solutions provided—such as private contracting and public awareness campaigns—are logical and directly address the problems identified. While the development is generally good, some points could be expanded further to reach a higher band, such as explaining why people might still fail to recycle even when facilities are available. Overall, the response is well-focused and meets all requirements of the task.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5
The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is easy to follow. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'However', 'Firstly', and 'Moreover', which help connect the ideas effectively. However, there are some minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the slightly awkward phrasing in the introduction and the repetitive nature of some transitions. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure supports the argument well.
Lexical Resource — Band 6.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate and allows for clear communication. You use some topic-specific terms like 'municipal waste management', 'recyclable waste', and 'land fill'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'recycling the household garbage is not at a level as it potentially should' and 'dump at their designated facilities'. To improve, focus on more natural collocations and a wider range of academic vocabulary. The spelling is mostly accurate, but the range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, preventing a higher score.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the municipal waste management', 'the importance of recycling'), verb forms ('residents not recycling their waste'), and sentence construction ('This is when there is no strict implementation'). These errors do not impede communication, but they are noticeable. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more error-free complex sentences and pay closer attention to subject-verb agreement and article usage.
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