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)

The recycling is a most effective method to overcome environmental problems. Many individuals pollute their surrounding by throwing rubbish, and plastic waste that has a detrimental effect on the ecosystem. This essay will elucidate the reasons, why people do not recycle their household waste, and recommend some solutions to solve this problem.

To commence with the reasons of why individuals not properly dispose the garbage, the first and foremost reason is that they do not have knowledge and education the importance of green spaces. Another prominent reason is that government do not formulate strict rules for the recycling of waste materials produced by household activities, and manufacturing industries. A good example of this is Vietnam where authorities have not made strict regulations for recycling of rubbish. Consequently, citizens of Vietnam do not pay attention to disposal of waste that lead to environment degradation.

On the other hand, although there are many reasons of not recycling waste material, government can overcome this issue by introducing some hard regulations, and penalties for not recycling trash by individuals, and chemical industries. For example, if a person break the waste recycling rules then there should be high fines, and imprisonment in case of serious offence such as waste disposal in water sources by industries. This will force individuals to recycle trash. Moreover, authorities should organize free seminars in schools, universities, and companies to aware people about the significance of ecosystem, and its negative effects on human health.

In conclusion, although there are lack of awareness, and education is main cause of people not pay attention to recycling. Gover

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. The ideas are relevant, such as the lack of education and the need for stricter government regulations. However, the development is somewhat limited. The example of Vietnam is a good start but could be expanded to explain why regulations are lacking. The essay ends abruptly in the conclusion, which is a significant omission that prevents a full summary of the main points. To reach a higher band, ensure that all sections, including the conclusion, are fully completed and that ideas are explored with more depth and nuance.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To commence with', 'Another prominent reason', and 'On the other hand', which help guide the reader. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by minor grammatical errors and the incomplete final paragraph. Referencing is generally clear, but the transition between the body paragraphs and the conclusion is missing due to the unfinished text. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring a complete, well-structured conclusion would enhance the overall coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, such as 'detrimental effect', 'elucidate', and 'environmental degradation'. However, there are also some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'do not have knowledge and education the importance' (should be 'lack knowledge of and education about') and 'to aware people' (should be 'to make people aware'). While these errors do not impede communication, they indicate a need for more precise control over word forms and collocations.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text. Examples include missing articles ('the recycling', 'the government'), subject-verb agreement issues ('government do not formulate'), and awkward phrasing ('reasons of why individuals not properly dispose'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma usage. To improve, the student should focus on basic sentence construction, specifically ensuring correct verb forms and article usage, and practice proofreading to catch these recurring errors.

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

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