Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-13

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 7.5)

# Recycling Household Waste

In many countries, people do not recycle as much household waste as they could. This is mainly because of a lack of awareness, inconvenience, and inadequate recycling facilities. However, governments and communities can take several steps to encourage people to recycle more.

One major reason for low recycling rates is that people may not understand the environmental consequences of excessive waste. Some individuals are unaware that plastic, glass, paper, and metal can often be reused or processed into new products. Another important factor is convenience. If recycling bins are not easily available or waste collection systems are complicated, people may simply put all their rubbish in the same bin. In addition, some people believe that recycling requires extra time and effort and therefore do not consider it important.

There are several effective ways to improve this situation. First, governments should provide clear recycling information through schools, social media, television, and community programs. Teaching children about recycling from an early age can help develop responsible habits. Second, recycling facilities should be made more accessible. For example, separate recycling bins could be provided in residential areas, workplaces, and public places. Governments could also introduce financial incentives, such as refunds for returned bottles and cans, to encourage participation.

For instance, in Canada, many communities provide separate bins for recyclable materials and have regular collection services. Such systems make recycling easier because residents do not have to travel far to dispose of recyclable waste.

In conclusion, people often recycle less because of limited awareness, inconvenience, and insufficient facilities. By educating the public, improving recycling systems, and providing incentives, governments can significantly increase recycling rates and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response fully addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for low recycling rates and potential solutions. The ideas are well-developed, such as the discussion on convenience and the specific suggestion of financial incentives. The position is clear throughout, and the response maintains a consistent focus on the topic. The inclusion of the Canadian example provides relevant support for the proposed solutions. To reach a higher band, the student could further elaborate on the 'why' behind the lack of awareness, perhaps by discussing the role of consumer culture or the lack of government policy in specific contexts, which would add more depth to the analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 8.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is smooth. Cohesive devices such as 'In addition', 'First', 'Second', and 'For instance' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. The paragraphing is appropriate, and the referencing is clear throughout. The flow of the argument is natural, making the text easy to follow. There is no evidence of mechanical or repetitive use of cohesive devices, which demonstrates a good level of control over the structure of the essay.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.0

The vocabulary is sufficient and appropriate for the task. The student uses topic-specific terms like 'environmental consequences', 'financial incentives', and 'landfills' correctly. While the range is adequate, it is somewhat standard. To achieve a higher band, the student could incorporate more sophisticated or less common collocations (e.g., 'mitigate environmental degradation' instead of 'understand the environmental consequences'). However, the current vocabulary is precise, and there are no errors in word choice or spelling that impede communication, making it a solid performance for this criterion.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 7.5

The essay demonstrates a good command of grammatical structures. There is a mix of simple and complex sentences, such as the conditional structure 'If recycling bins are not easily available... people may simply put all their rubbish in the same bin.' The punctuation is accurate, and the sentence construction is generally error-free. The majority of the sentences are clear and well-formed. To move into the higher bands, the student could experiment with a wider variety of complex structures, such as passive voice constructions or more varied subordinate clauses, to demonstrate greater flexibility in their writing.

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

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