Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-12

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)

Recycling is a major concern in many countries. It is often argued that people are unlikely to recycle their household waste as much as they should. This can be attributed to a lack of environmental awareness and strict regulations. This essay will discuss its main causes and some measures to address this issue, such as providing environmental education and enforce penalties by the governments.

One of the most compelling reasons people do not give importance to recycle their household waste is a lack of environmental awareness. Many people are unaware about the issues that may experience by the communities and individuals by not disposing the household waste, they may feel less motivated to adopt the responsible habits towards recycling. Moreover, in some countries, there are not sufficient regulations and penalties imposed by the authorities, which further discourage individuals to follow their duties effectively. As a result, people are unlikely to fulfill their responsibilities to properly discard their household waste due to their unawareness about environment and fear of facing any penalty.

However, government can take some measures to encourage responsible behavior among residents. First and foremost, governments should organize public campaign to provide environmental education and explain the importance of recycling and benefits of it for communities. which, in turn, helps people contribute to adopting recycling habits. In addition, governments can enforce some regulations and fines for not following the recycling rules. This strictness can make individuals to remember their duties, and hence increased recycling.

In conclusion, lack of environmental awareness and insufficient rules increases the irresponsible behavior of individuals for recycling their household waste. organizing public campaign to aware residents about the significance of increasing recycling and imposing fines can effectively address this issue and create a healthier and cleaner society.

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, such as the lack of awareness and the need for government intervention through education and penalties. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the explanation of why people are unaware is a bit repetitive, and the solutions could be more detailed with specific examples of successful recycling programs. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully extended with concrete examples or logical consequences rather than just stating the ideas.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the causes from the solutions. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover,' 'As a result,' and 'First and foremost' are used to guide the reader. However, there are some instances where the flow is slightly mechanical, and some sentences are grammatically awkward, which occasionally disrupts the smooth progression of ideas. For example, the sentence starting with 'which, in turn, helps...' is a fragment and should be connected to the previous clause to improve cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary such as 'environmental awareness,' 'household waste,' and 'responsible behavior.' However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'give importance to recycle' (should be 'give importance to recycling') and 'aware residents' (should be 'make residents aware'). The range is sufficient for the task but lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and sentence construction. Examples include 'unaware about the issues that may experience by the communities' (passive voice error) and 'enforce penalties by the governments' (should be 'enforcing penalties'). Additionally, there are punctuation and fragment issues, such as starting a sentence with 'Which, in turn...'. These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score.

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