Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-11

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)

A few individuals believes that people don't recycle their rubbish instead, this essay totally disagrees with the statement because this creates a environmental pollution, as all the garbage goes to landfills rather than recycle it.

This happens due to lack of awareness among people. people feel inconvenient to separate things as this destroy their time so they don't recycle their rubbish as they could be. people should be aware about the advantages of recycling. For example, plastics and papers thrown on the road for a long period of time creates environmental pollution, leads to heaths issues.

Another cons of why people don't recycle their rubbish is that lack of proper recycling systems in the country . This is lack of governments strict rules and regulations. If government provide separate bins to public areas, this could motivate them to throw garbage in the bins , reduces different pollutions like air and water pollution.

For example, In China, government provide strict rules regarding recycle, results pollution free country.

I think this happens due to lack of awareness about the pros and cons of recycling among people living. There must be strict policy inorder to eliminate pollution.

To change this , awareness campaign should be organized, people should be educated so that they should be aware about it. strict rules and regulations should be implemented, Children should be taught about waste management from an early age. Individuals should separate degradable and bio-degradable substances.

In my opinion, people should encourage recycle to decrease pollutants.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for low recycling rates and potential solutions. However, the development of ideas is limited. For instance, the explanation regarding 'inconvenience' and 'lack of government rules' is somewhat superficial and repetitive. The essay lacks specific, well-developed examples; the mention of China is too brief to effectively support the argument. While the position is clear, the overall development is basic and lacks the depth required for a higher band score. To improve, you should expand on your points with more detailed explanations and concrete, illustrative examples.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organised into paragraphs, but the logical flow is frequently interrupted by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. While some cohesive devices are used (e.g., 'Another cons', 'To change this'), they are often used mechanically or incorrectly. The transition between ideas is sometimes abrupt, making the progression of the argument feel disjointed. Paragraphing is present, but the internal structure of the paragraphs lacks a clear thematic focus, leading to a somewhat fragmented reading experience. Improving the use of linking words and ensuring each paragraph has a clear topic sentence would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is adequate for the task but remains quite limited and repetitive. You rely on basic terms like 'garbage', 'rubbish', and 'pollution' throughout the text. There are also errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'this destroy their time' instead of 'this is time-consuming' and 'leads to heaths issues' (health issues). The attempt to use more academic vocabulary is visible but often inaccurate. To reach a higher band, you should focus on using more precise terminology related to environmental issues and waste management, and ensure that your word choices are contextually appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but the accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('A few individuals believes', 'government provide'), incorrect verb forms ('leads to heaths issues'), and missing articles. Punctuation is also problematic, with some sentences being run-on or incorrectly punctuated. While the meaning is generally clear, these persistent errors distract the reader and indicate a lack of control over complex structures. Focusing on basic grammatical accuracy, particularly subject-verb agreement and article usage, is essential for improvement.

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

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