Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-18

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 this modern era , more and more people maintaining their busy lifestyle and generally they are occupied by their work and that is the reason they do not waste their time on recycling the rubbish ,there will be a several reasons behind this and there are many solution that this can be solved, this essay includes all the information.

First of all, many people are throwing trash items such as can, bottles, jar, packages as well as domestic all items in one trash can which leads to huge problems for the people who are collecting the recycling items from the trash bins those people are making the so many different recycle items from the bins such as papers , water bottles , Wine jars and up to many more but due to less recycling items in trash bins those people are unable to make recycling products and due to that environmental problem are increasing day by day which leads to huge problems in society.

In my second paragraph, I would like to mention that there are so many ways that this problem can be solved people should always have 3 bins in their houses such as blue , yellow and normal one the blue should have cardboards in it as well as yellow should have plastic in it and the normal bin has kitchen wastage like chicken , fruits waste as well as vegetables wastages if they are following this type of methods for recycling items then it becomes easy for the team who are making items from the recycle and the environmental problems can be resolved which leads to pollution free society.

In my conclusion, I would like to mention that it we improve the rubbish throwing style it will be beneficial towards the society and it aware people towards environmental problems which can be causes by the trash if it all collected in one bin.

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 somewhat superficial. The explanation for why people do not recycle focuses solely on 'busy lifestyles,' which is a limited perspective. The solutions provided are practical but lack depth in terms of policy or systemic change. The introduction is quite weak, as it merely restates the prompt rather than clearly outlining the essay's direction. To reach a higher band, you should provide more nuanced reasons, such as a lack of public awareness or inadequate government infrastructure, and develop your solutions with more specific examples or logical consequences.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the flow between ideas is often mechanical and repetitive. You rely heavily on phrases like 'In my second paragraph' and 'In my conclusion,' which are unnecessary and detract from the natural flow of the argument. Cohesive devices are used, but they are often basic or misused, such as the run-on sentence structure in the introduction and the first body paragraph. The logical progression is present, but the lack of sophisticated linking words makes the transition between ideas feel disjointed. Improving the use of transition signals and avoiding meta-commentary about the structure would significantly enhance the coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. You frequently use simple terms like 'trash,' 'items,' and 'things.' There is an attempt to use topic-specific vocabulary (e.g., 'recycling,' 'environmental problems,' 'pollution-free'), but the range is limited. Some word choices are imprecise, such as 'domestic all items' or 'rubbish throwing style.' To improve, you should incorporate more varied and precise collocations related to environmental issues, such as 'waste management,' 'sustainability,' 'segregation of waste,' or 'environmental degradation.' Spelling is generally accurate, but the lack of lexical variety prevents a higher score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a high frequency of grammatical errors, particularly regarding sentence structure. Many sentences are run-on, characterized by comma splices and a lack of proper punctuation (e.g., the entire introduction is one long, poorly connected sentence). There are frequent errors in article usage ('the recycling items'), pluralization ('environmental problem are increasing'), and word order. While you attempt some complex structures, they are often inaccurate, which can occasionally impede the reader's understanding. To improve, focus on mastering simple sentence structures first, ensuring correct subject-verb agreement and punctuation, before attempting more complex, multi-clause sentences.

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

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