Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-05

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)

It is widely accepted that in multiple nations, individuals do not recycle their waste to the full potential. While the driving factors behind this paradigm is inadequate infrastructure and lack of awareness about its impact on environment, the feasible solutions to mitigate the issue are to infrastructure development and campaigns to educate the public.

To commence with, the primary catalyst behind this problem is limited waste disposal supplies to households which creates a formidable situation for public. To expound, since in many underdeveloped countries authorities usually provide very few garbage bins to separately dispose the recyclable waste, many people end up disposing all the waste together, rather than taking the pain to put them separately. Furthermore, even though many developed nations have quipped their general populace with the designated waste containers, some demographics are unmotivated to practice standard waste disposal practices due to lack of awareness about the impact of their neglect with regard to garbage disposal.

Additionally, to alleviate these issues the authorities can play a pivotal role by not only improving disposal facilities but also by spreading awareness. To elaborate, government should ensure availability of designated garbage and recycle waste bins to every households to equip them adequate supplies. Moreover, both state and organizations such as schools, should encourage the citizens to adopt the right way of waste disposal by educating them about the negative consequences of irresponsible waste management.

In conclusion, although there is no speck of ambiguity that lack of facilities and careless waste disposal are the factors for limited recycling, nevertheless, these issues can be effectively resolved by upgrading the facilities and by raising the awareness about recycling practices which support sustainable environment.

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 position is clear throughout, and the ideas are relevant. However, the development is somewhat limited. For example, the explanation regarding 'underdeveloped countries' is a bit generic. While the ideas are extended, they could benefit from more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. The introduction and conclusion effectively frame the argument, ensuring all parts of the task are covered, though the depth of the supporting arguments remains at a solid, functional level.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central topic, and the transition between the problem and the solution is smooth. Cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Furthermore', and 'Additionally' are used effectively to guide the reader. However, there are minor issues with referencing and flow, such as the slightly awkward phrasing in the conclusion ('no speck of ambiguity'). Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the logical flow is maintained throughout the text, meeting the requirements for a Band 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with some precision. Phrases like 'formidable situation', 'pivotal role', and 'sustainable environment' show an attempt to use less common lexical items. However, there are some inaccuracies in collocation and word choice, such as 'quipped their general populace' (should be 'equipped') and 'taking the pain' (an unnatural idiom in this context). Despite these occasional errors, the vocabulary is adequate for the task and does not impede communication, showing a good level of flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While there is a good attempt at complex grammar, there are several persistent errors. For instance, 'the driving factors... is' (subject-verb agreement error), 'to infrastructure development' (missing verb), and 'to every households' (pluralization error). These errors occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score but do not significantly impede the reader's understanding. The control of punctuation is generally good, and the sentence variety is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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