Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-08-20

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 6.0)

In today's contemporary world, a huge pool of people do not recycle the waste as much as they could, whereas some countries have made recycling an important step in the garbage dumping process. This essay will analyze the reason for this behavior along with the solution to this problem.

According to the most recent studies, it has been found that plastic use has increased over the past few decades, but the ratio of population recycling and reusing of products is still negligible. Many countries do not have proper rules and regulations to set the trend of recycling. Living in the tech-savvy world and being aware of the importance of recycling, people simply neglect and back out from their responsibilities towards the environment.

On the contrary, there are some nations that have made strict laws to encourage recycling and make the garbage dumping an environmentally friendly process. For instance, in Japan it is important to dump specific garbage each day of the week, making the sorting easier; someone who fails to do so ends up getting imprisoned. Plastic bags are also banned in some countries. In Punjab, India, there is a place named Rock Garden, where garbage has been recycled to make sculptures. People from different parts of the world come every year to visit, making it a popular tourist attraction.

In order to change this, constitutions should be amended and strict laws should be added to promote recycling and waste management. Moreover, campaigns should be organized to spread awareness among people. All these small efforts could result in drastic change leading to a positive and healthy environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for low recycling rates and potential solutions. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the explanation for why people do not recycle is limited to 'neglect' and 'backing out of responsibilities,' which lacks depth. The solutions provided are also quite general, such as 'amending constitutions' and 'campaigns.' While the essay covers all parts of the task, the ideas could be more thoroughly extended with specific examples or logical consequences to reach a higher band. The position is clear, but the supporting arguments lack the necessary detail to be fully persuasive.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. There is a clear progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'On the contrary,' 'For instance,' and 'Moreover,' which help guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be more precise. For example, the link between the second and third paragraphs is a bit abrupt. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the logical flow is sufficient to maintain a coherent argument throughout the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task. The student uses some topic-specific terms like 'garbage dumping,' 'waste management,' and 'environmentally friendly.' However, there are some awkward collocations and phrasing, such as 'a huge pool of people' and 'set the trend of recycling,' which are not entirely natural. The range of vocabulary is sufficient to convey the intended meaning, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands. There are no significant spelling errors, and the vocabulary used is appropriate for the context of the essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are some grammatical errors, such as 'the ratio of population recycling and reusing of products' (which is clunky) and 'making the garbage dumping an environmentally friendly process' (missing an article). Despite these errors, the meaning is always clear, and the mistakes do not impede communication. The student shows an attempt to use complex structures, but control is inconsistent. Punctuation is generally accurate, and the sentence variety is sufficient to meet the requirements for a band 6.0.

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

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