Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-07-30

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)

Land filling is a major issue the majority part of the world is facing since last 4 decades. Since the innovation of plastic, the situation has become worse. Non-biodegradable waste is a major challenge for all of the world, a large portion of this waste also ends up in the water bodies and finally into the oceans.

Many countries do not recycle their garbage on their own land, in fact they transport it to the developing nations like Bangladesh, India, China and to other underdeveloped and poor nation. These nations already face garbage crisis. Their own infrastructures are overwhelmed by their own waste. In developing countries, the collection of rural and urban waste is also a major challenge as there are many non-functional municipal bodies which are either corrupt or lack funding. Even if there are industries that recycle the waste from around the world, wages are poor and hardly enough to suffice the needs of one's well being.

The reason behind many countries do not recycle their own rubbish is not that they lack the infrastructure of funding for such projects but the sheer lack of the specific manpower. As it is considered as a dirty job, not many people from the developed nations are not willing to take on such jobs.

In my opinion, the government should start specific programs which give incentives to the workers of the recycling plants. The government and the local municipal bodies should waive partial taxes from the earning of these workers, which can dramatically increase the workforce. As the workers can be assured of the benefits they could cherish by working in such labour intensive jobs.

AI examiner evaluation

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, particularly the discussion on the 'dirty job' perception and the proposal for government incentives. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The first two paragraphs focus heavily on the global waste trade and the challenges in developing nations, which is only tangentially related to the core question of why people in many countries do not recycle. The argument regarding the lack of manpower is a strong point but could have been expanded further. To reach a higher band, ensure that every paragraph directly answers the specific 'why' and 'how' questions posed in the prompt.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is organised into logical paragraphs, each with a clear central topic. There is a progression of ideas from the problem to the causes and finally to the solutions. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'in fact they transport it' or 'as it is considered as a dirty job'. Referencing is generally clear, but the transition between the global waste trade issue and the specific lack of manpower in developed nations could be smoother. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the overall structure supports the reader's understanding of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, with some good topic-specific terms like 'non-biodegradable waste', 'municipal bodies', and 'labour intensive'. There are, however, some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'majority part of the world' (should be 'the majority of the world') and 'suffice the needs of one's well being'. While the range is sufficient to convey the message clearly, it lacks the flexibility and precision required for a higher band. The repetition of 'major' and 'challenge' also limits the lexical variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'Since the innovation of plastic' (should be 'Since the invention'), 'lack the infrastructure of funding' (should be 'lack the infrastructure or funding'), and the double negative 'not many people... are not willing'. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are some minor errors in sentence construction. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. Increasing the use of error-free complex sentences would improve the score in this criterion.

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