Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-16
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)
Recycle is the best way to clean and protect the environment from plastic bag and bottles. In many nations, individuals don't recycle their rubbish as much as they need to do because of lack of education and inconvenience. I will discuss the reasons and share my own experience in upcoming paragraphs.
To begin with, the first reason is that why people do not recycle their rubbish, lack of awareness and convenience. In many places, in recycle bins do not have label so people do not understand that we need to put recycle their rubbish in different bins. For example- Individual, who live in apartment and center, throw garbage in same bin. They have no other option to put recycle and other garbage in different bins. Consequently, it not only put bad impact on environment but also try to difficult for people that why we need to recycle their rubbish in different bins.
On the other hand, the problem can be sorted with some rules and changes in community. Government and Community counsels should keep the bins with different color and logo so people can understand and aware about recycle items and other garbage. If people do not follow this rule, they need to fine to the people, who throw recycle and garbage in same bin. These changes can be beneficial for environment and animals.
According to my experience, I am more likely if recycle bin will label then every individual will try to recycle their rubbish in separate bins. The one step can be changing the human mind and keep the environment clean.
To conclude it, there are some reasons that why people do not recycle their rubbish in separate bins but with some rules and changes in community, people try to accept and throw recycle in different bins.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
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 of ideas is somewhat limited. While you mention 'lack of education' and 'inconvenience', the explanation remains superficial. For instance, the example regarding apartment bins is relevant but lacks depth in explaining why this specifically hinders recycling. The solutions provided, such as color-coded bins and fines, are practical but could be expanded upon to show a more comprehensive understanding of the issue. To improve, ensure that each point is fully supported with a clear explanation or a more detailed example.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow your argument. You use basic cohesive devices like 'To begin with', 'On the other hand', and 'To conclude it'. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally unclear, such as in the sentence 'They have no other option to put recycle and other garbage in different bins.' The transition between ideas could be smoother to improve the overall progression of the argument. Using a wider variety of linking words and ensuring that pronouns clearly refer to their antecedents would strengthen this area.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it is quite repetitive and lacks precision. You frequently use the word 'recycle' as a noun or verb in contexts where 'recycling' or 'recyclable materials' would be more accurate. Phrases like 'put bad impact on environment' are non-standard; a more natural collocation would be 'have a negative impact on the environment'. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more topic-specific vocabulary, such as 'waste management', 'sustainability', 'infrastructure', or 'environmental awareness', and pay closer attention to word forms and collocations.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
There is a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. You frequently omit articles (e.g., 'in recycle bins do not have label') and struggle with verb forms and prepositions (e.g., 'they need to fine to the people'). There are also issues with sentence construction, such as 'the first reason is that why people do not recycle', which is grammatically incorrect. While these errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to distract the reader. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of articles will significantly improve your score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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