Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

In many nations, people do not recycle their waste as they could. This is mainly due to lack of convenient facilities and public awareness, but Government can help to overcome this issue by improving collection system and offering them rewards.

There are 2 main reasons why recycling rates are low. Firstly, people are unaware of the days when waste is to be collected resulting in not keeping the recycling bins near their house and have to drive to nearby bins to get rid of their waste.Secondly, many citizens are confused about the items that needs recycling. Without clear labelling, it becomes hard for people to differentiate between garbage and recycling items and worry about sorting errors and simply choose to garbage particular things.

To address this issues, Government and local council must take appropriate steps. Firstly, they could provide with the coded bins to help people differentiate between garbage and recycling bins directly to every house as well as apartments. Secondly, Government should introduce rewards or financial incentives, such as bottle returns where they could be rewarded in cash to replace old bottles made of glass and plastic. This approach will prove to larger number of people recycling bottles and cans. Furthermore, this approach has already been proven as a success in many European countries.

In conclusion, low recycling rates are due to insufficient knowledge as well as lack of proper guidance. However, by introducing reward system and better doorstep facilities, Government can help encourage people to recycle things much more efficiently.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for low recycling rates and potential solutions. The ideas are relevant and clearly presented. The introduction sets a clear position, and the body paragraphs provide logical arguments. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited; for instance, the explanation regarding 'unaware of the days' could be more deeply explored to reach a higher band. The solutions provided, such as coded bins and financial incentives, are practical and well-aligned with the prompt. Overall, the response is well-focused and covers all requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the use of cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Furthermore', and 'In conclusion' helps guide the reader. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical, and there are minor issues with referencing, such as the use of 'them' in the introduction, which lacks a clear antecedent. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the problem and solution aspects of the task, contributing to the overall clarity of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate and appropriate for the task. The student uses some topic-specific terms like 'financial incentives', 'collection system', and 'sorting errors'. However, there are some repetitive word choices and minor collocation errors, such as 'choose to garbage particular things' instead of 'choose to throw away specific items'. While the range is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, it lacks the sophistication and precision required for a higher band score. The vocabulary is functional but rarely moves beyond standard, expected terminology.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'items that needs recycling' (subject-verb agreement), 'address this issues' (pluralization), and 'provide with the coded bins' (unnecessary preposition). While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. The student attempts complex structures, but control over them is inconsistent. Punctuation is generally correct, but the sentence construction could be more varied and precise to improve the overall flow and accuracy.

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

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