Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-19

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 recent times, recycling the waste has become an increasingly common problem among individuals in many nations. People do not consider it as a serious problem and do a little as they could. This essay will explain the reason behind this behavior and also provide the possible solutions to change this trend.

On the one hand, the most prominent reason for this trend is lack of accountability and responsibility. In many countries, people tend to take it as casual thing and neglect the afterwards consequences and damage towards the society. A good example for this is, in India many rural areas face this challenge because people don't know the impact of waste on the society and they do not recycle the garbage properly and show the at most responsibility. Therefore, I believe that improper organization or leadership leads to such behaviors.

On the other hand, the possible counter measure for this trend is to implement a law to handle the waste promptly. Government should impose few laws and create a waste management system to process and collect the waste. Additionally, they should not only start some training campaigns To educate the individuals but also need to distribute the different bins to differentiate the waste for accurate disposal and recycling process. For instance, many foreign nations such as Canada, USA saw a tremendous results in recycling process after imposing these rules. Ultimately, this would mold the individuals in a way that they strictly follow the process through out their life. As a result, this would be beneficial to both individuals and the society as it reduces the impact of environmental damage.

In conclusion, this trend is mainly caused by lack of ownership, and I believe that it can be addressed by implementing some strict rules and regulations to mitigate the environmental pollution.

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 public awareness and the need for government-led waste management systems. However, the development is somewhat limited. For instance, the explanation regarding 'lack of accountability' in rural India is a good start but could be expanded with more specific detail on how this manifests. The solutions are practical, though the suggestion to 'implement a law' is a bit generic. Overall, the position is clear, and the response covers all requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the reasons from the solutions. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand,' 'On the other hand,' 'Additionally,' and 'In conclusion' are used to guide the reader through the argument. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing of ideas could be more sophisticated. Nevertheless, the progression of ideas is clear throughout the text.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task. The student uses some topic-specific terms like 'waste management,' 'disposal,' and 'environmental damage.' However, there are some awkward collocations and word choices, such as 'do a little as they could' (should be 'do as little as they can') and 'show the at most responsibility' (should be 'utmost'). There is an attempt to use less common vocabulary, but the precision is inconsistent. The range is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, but it lacks the flexibility and sophistication required for a higher band score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('the afterwards consequences,' 'the recycling process') and word forms ('a casual thing'). Some sentences are slightly clunky, such as 'recycling the waste has become an increasingly common problem,' which is logically confusing as recycling is a solution, not a problem. Despite these errors, the grammar does not impede communication, and the student demonstrates a reasonable control over basic sentence construction.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.