Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-09

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 5.5)

Living creatures has faced challenges over the evolution for centuries to habitat the surrounding environment for routine livelihood. In this era, the biggest fear over the extinction of some species is because of the problem of carbon footprint that been left behind by the humans.

Looking back at life-cycle of plastics and other polymers at their end stage had made more of the damage to the earth surface & atmosphere, than their usefulness as the cost to dispose and to manage the rubbish is not taken seriously by the people and the government bodies. Many countries have strict guidelines to dispose of the waste to the environment like polluted water , chemicals and other non-recyclables. But that all leaves to the official entity of government to follow-up on routine checks on Industries, junkyard and residential places to enforce the law if the rules were not followed.

Developing countries had more of bigger problem than the developed nations, due to awareness among the residents at first hand to segregate the waste as per the their class for easy disposal or recycling. To change this campaigns must be organized so people can be more aware of waste management to avoid the natural imbalance to the environment. Also, the use of paper products has to be pushed through local bodies to reduce the use of new plastic products.

As per the recent studies it has been discovered that this replenishable minerals and oils are not in abundant. So people must understand how they can contribute to reduce the carbon footprint not just for the recyclable perspective but also for their limited nature of availability.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, identifying reasons for low recycling rates and suggesting solutions. However, the development of ideas is somewhat superficial. For instance, the explanation regarding why people do not recycle is vague, focusing more on general environmental damage than specific behavioral or systemic barriers. The solutions provided, such as 'campaigns' and 'paper products', are relevant but lack depth. To improve, you should provide more concrete examples or detailed explanations for your arguments. The response is a bit disjointed, and the focus occasionally drifts from the core topic of recycling to broader environmental issues like carbon footprints and mineral scarcity.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is often unclear. Transitions between sentences are sometimes mechanical or missing, making the flow feel disjointed. For example, the jump from discussing 'official entity of government' to 'developing countries' lacks a clear logical bridge. While you use some cohesive devices, they are sometimes used inaccurately or in a way that does not effectively link the arguments. The referencing is occasionally ambiguous, which forces the reader to work harder to follow your train of thought. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear, singular focus would significantly enhance the coherence.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but there are several instances of awkward phrasing and incorrect collocations that hinder precision. Phrases like 'habitat the surrounding environment' (should be 'inhabit') and 'replenishable minerals' (likely meant 'non-renewable') show a lack of control over more sophisticated vocabulary. You attempt to use academic terms, but they are often misused, which impacts the clarity of your message. To reach a higher band, focus on using words that you are certain of and practice collocations to ensure your language sounds more natural and precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text that occasionally impede communication. Issues include subject-verb agreement ('Living creatures has faced'), incorrect verb tenses ('had made more of the damage'), and awkward sentence structures ('that been left behind'). While you attempt some complex sentences, they are often marred by these errors. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with spacing around commas and symbols. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction and proofreading for common errors like subject-verb agreement and tense consistency before attempting more complex structures.

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

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