Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-12

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 6.5)

In many parts of the world, people do not throw garbage in bins as much as they should.

I believe the reason behind this ongoing practice is unawareness and no law about this common issue. Two steps can be taken in this regard: first, awareness seminars about the outcome of this unhealthy practice should be held, and some sort of fine should be imposed.

First of all, local municipal departments should conduct seminars to educate people about the dangers of bacterial infections, which are a direct outcome of garbage being thrown in an improper way. As a result, they will realize the intensity of the problem and will be more careful in the future; furthermore, some training mock sessions can also be included to show people how household waste can be discarded in a proper way. For example, I lived in a village where five small kids lost their lives after suffering from dengue. The local government initiated an inquiry; the inquiry revealed that local inhabitants usually threw garbage in a nearby area, which became a source of viral infection.

Secondly, the local government should issue proper fine tickets to those who violate rules and regulations; this small step can raise the level of seriousness among people to take part actively in this healthy practice. As an example, in 2027, the municipality issued more than one hundred challan tickets to those people who did not throw garbage bins placed in the streets on a daily basis. CCTV cameras were purchased with the fine amount and installed in every street to monitor the situation.

To conclude, it is evident that this problem can only be solved through proper awareness and also by using some level of strictness.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response successfully addresses both parts of the prompt, exploring the reasons why people fail to recycle or dispose of rubbish properly (unawareness and lack of laws) and suggesting concrete solutions (awareness seminars and fines). The student maintains a clear position throughout the essay. The ideas are extended and supported with relevant examples, such as the personal anecdote about dengue fever in a village and the future-dated municipal enforcement example in 2027. While some generalisations are present, all parts of the task are well-covered, aligning comfortably with the Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.0

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. The response is divided into logical paragraphs, with an introduction, two distinct body paragraphs addressing each part of the prompt, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'First of all', 'furthermore', and 'Secondly' are used to guide the reader through the arguments. However, referencing is occasionally repetitive, and some transitional links feel a bit mechanical, such as the heavy reliance on semicolon usage. Overall, the structural progression is clear and demonstrates the characteristics of Band 6.5 to 7.0, fitting securely into Band 7.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, demonstrating some flexibility with terms like 'municipal departments', 'bacterial infections', 'inhabitants', and 'violate rules and regulations'. However, there are some noticeable inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'throw garbage bins' instead of 'throw garbage into bins' and the slightly awkward phrasing 'issue proper fine tickets'. Less common lexical items are attempted with mixed success. These minor inaccuracies do not impede communication, placing the response firmly at Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay displays a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating relative clauses and conditional structures. There are several error-free sentences, such as 'The local government initiated an inquiry; the inquiry revealed that local inhabitants usually threw garbage in a nearby area'. However, persistent grammatical errors occur, including singular/plural noun discrepancies and awkward preposition usage, such as 'throwing garbage in an improper way' instead of 'in an improper manner'. Punctuation is generally functional, but overall error frequency prevents the writing from reaching Band 7. Communication is never impeded, making Band 6 an accurate reflection of this grammar profile.

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

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