Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-08

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)

Recycling of rubbish has gained a lot of popularity in the recent years, but there are still a huge number of countries where recycling is not practiced as much as it could be. This is mainly because of the lack of awareness of its benefits in these countries which are mostly developing ones.

Recycling can help a country to reduce their waste production to a great degree. The concept of reducing, reusing and recycling works as a wonder in waste reduction and management and helps the nations to steadily pace towards environmental conservation and sustainable development.

In the recent years, the concept has gained much popularity in the developed world and numerous countries have recycled enormous amounts of waste and dramatically reduced the quantities of solid waste production. Such initiatives have been taken at local, community and household levels. Due to the merits and positive results of this concept, it has been adopted in schools, offices, public places and everywhere. The schools, for instance, organize recycling projects every month in order to encourage the children to develop the habit of 'reduce, reuse and recycle' from a very young age. This would develop beneficial habits in the kids and make them more environmentally aware. They would also contribute towards conservation of the environment, understand the importance of sustainability, and thereby become more conscious and responsible citizens in future.

On the other hand, the developing countries are still struggling with the core issues like poverty, unemployment and social issues; thereby lesser importance was given to the environmental issues. To make changes and improvements in the situation, we must adopt the same policies which have been advocated by the developing countries. We should make the people of developing countries aware about the benefits of recycling the waste and the various ways in which waste can be reused. More the awareness about it, more we will see the results. In addition, the governments of these countries also must take up initiatives and try to encourage their people towards sustainability and environmental conservation.

In conclusion, recycling has enormous benefits for the entire world and must be adopted by all the countries of the world in order to make this planet better, healthier and sustainable.

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, particularly the focus on awareness and economic priorities in developing nations. However, the development is somewhat uneven. The second paragraph discusses the benefits of recycling in general rather than directly answering the 'why' or 'how' questions. The suggestion to 'adopt the same policies' from developed countries is a bit vague and could have been supported with more concrete examples of specific policies (e.g., government subsidies or infrastructure investment). Overall, the response is clear and maintains a consistent position throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Paragraphing is used effectively to separate the two main prompts. Cohesive devices such as 'In the recent years', 'For instance', and 'On the other hand' are used to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and there is occasional repetition of phrases like 'in the recent years' and 'in these countries'. The progression of ideas is generally smooth, though the link between the second paragraph and the rest of the essay could be tighter to ensure a more cohesive argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express ideas clearly. There is an attempt to use some less common collocations such as 'environmental conservation', 'sustainable development', and 'solid waste production'. However, there are some minor inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'works as a wonder' (should be 'works wonders') and 'lesser importance was given' (should be 'less importance is given'). The range is sufficient to convey meaning, but more precise vocabulary would elevate the score further.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over basic grammar, but some errors persist. For example, 'In the recent years' is a slight misuse of the article; 'the' is unnecessary here. There are also tense inconsistencies, such as 'lesser importance was given' when discussing a general, ongoing situation. While these errors do not impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher band. The use of punctuation is generally accurate, and the sentence variety is sufficient to maintain reader interest.

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

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