Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-09

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 5.5)

In most of the countries, individuals do not recycle their garbage as much as it is required. I think people nowadays are very busy and they do not have enough time to recycle as well as they think it is not necessary for them. I think government should encourage the people to recycle their rubbish by appreciating them with rewards. Since it can make a good difference in the society.

To commence with, in my point of view citizens do not reprocess their waste because they are busy doing their own work and they do not have enough time to do this process. Also they might think it is not necessary for them. To illustrate, in India people are using many plastic containers and once they get old they throw them away instead of recycle them because people believe recycling is time consuming and not necessary for them to do.

However, I believe that by recycling rubbish we can reduce pollution and use these waste in making another things which makes a good difference in the society. I think government can encourage people to do this. For instance, if government are paying 5 rupees for recycling 50 plastic water bottles then people get encouraged and they can start doing this activity.

To summarize, I strongly think that people are very busy and they think it is not necessary for them to participate in this. I think government should encourage the people to participate in this process by giving them rewards.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for low recycling rates and potential solutions. However, the development is quite limited. The ideas, such as 'people are busy' and 'government rewards,' are mentioned but not explored in depth. The essay relies on repetitive phrasing, such as repeating the same reasons in the introduction, body, and conclusion. To reach a higher band, you need to expand on your points with more detailed explanations or varied examples. The current structure is somewhat simplistic, and the arguments lack the depth required for a higher score, as they remain at a surface level throughout the response.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organised into clear paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and repetitive. For example, 'I think' is used frequently to start sentences, which makes the flow feel a bit stilted. While there is a logical progression from the problem to the solution, the transition between ideas could be smoother. The use of linking words like 'To commence with' and 'To summarize' is appropriate, but the overall cohesion lacks the flexibility and sophistication expected at higher levels.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks variety and precision. You rely on basic terms such as 'garbage,' 'rubbish,' and 'waste' interchangeably, and phrases like 'make a good difference' are repeated. There is little attempt to use less common or more sophisticated vocabulary. While the meaning is clear and communication is not impeded, the range is limited. To improve, try to incorporate more topic-specific collocations related to environmental issues, such as 'sustainability,' 'waste management,' or 'incentivise,' rather than repeating simple phrases.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and some complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'in most of the countries' (should be 'in most countries'), 'instead of recycle them' (should be 'instead of recycling them'), and 'if government are paying' (should be 'if the government pays'). These errors are noticeable but do not prevent the reader from understanding your message. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of gerunds after prepositions. Increasing the variety of complex sentence structures would also help improve your score.

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

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