Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-16

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)

Recycling waste products can impact the environment positively. However, in many countries, individuals do not recycle their waste items according to their capacity. I believe the main reason behind this is a lack of awareness, and stringent regulations and awareness campaigns should be implemented by governments to change this. To begin with, only a few people reuse or recycle items from their rubbish. The primary reason behind this is an absence of proper knowledge. Not only that, some people do not even have an idea about the existence of recycling stores, such as bottle depots and waste management places. For example, even though in some parts of the world the availability of recycling stores is adequate, many people are unaware of them. Due to the lack of awareness, only a few people prioritize recycling their rubbish.

To address this, the government should implement strict rules to make recycling necessary for every person. If the officials mandate this, people will change their habits and start implementing it in their lives. Apart from this, to encourage citizens, authorities should spend money on campaigns so that people can be aware of the importance of recycling. The more individuals participate in this, the more they can contribute to the betterment of the environment. Last year, the government of India introduced some rules to enhance recycling among residents; because of that, this year they recycled double until this year. In conclusion, because of unawareness, people are not participating in recycling. By implementing rules and running campaigns, governments can encourage people to recycle.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the task directly by discussing why people do not recycle as much as they could, primarily pointing to a lack of awareness, and offering solutions through government regulations and campaigns. The position is clear throughout the essay. The ideas are generally well supported, such as when the student mentions the lack of knowledge regarding recycling stores like bottle depots. However, some arguments could be extended further for greater depth, such as the example regarding India, which is slightly underdeveloped and grammatically confused at the end of the sentence ('doubled until this year'). Overall, the task is adequately addressed in line with Band 6.5 standards.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear progression of ideas from causes in the first body paragraph to solutions in the second. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct main points. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader, using phrases like 'To begin with' and 'To address this'. However, referencing and cohesion can occasionally feel somewhat mechanical or repetitive, such as the heavy reliance on phrases starting with 'The reason behind this is' and 'people do not'. Overall, logical organisation is maintained throughout, satisfying the criteria for a Band 6.5 or solid Band 6.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary suitable for the task, successfully incorporating terms like 'stringent regulations', 'awareness campaigns', 'prioritize', and 'betterment of the environment'. There are some attempts at less common lexical items, though occasional inaccuracies in word choice or collocation appear, such as using 'unawareness' rather than 'a lack of awareness' or 'unawareness', and phrasing like 'doubled until this year'. Nevertheless, the vocabulary is sufficient to convey the message clearly without impeding communication, fitting the Band 6 descriptor well.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, including conditional structures like 'If the officials mandate this, people will change their habits'. There are several grammatical errors and awkward phrasings present, such as 'according to their capacity' (which is slightly unnatural in this context) and the confusing clause 'they recycled double until this year'. Punctuation and grammar errors occur, but they rarely impede overall communication. The mixture of accurate complex sentences alongside persistent minor errors points directly to a Band 6.0 level.

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