Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-25

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 4.5)

In many households, people recycle their discarded items less often. There are various reasons for this such as lack of awareness and lack of infrastructure.This can be altered by government introducing some schemes such as purchase-return scheme and provide user convenience.

To begin with, eventhough some people in the society develop the mindset to recycle the items but people are not aware of the difference between the item which goes to trash and needs to be recycled.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response is severely under-length, containing only 77 words compared to the required 250 words minimum. Because of this critical shortcoming, the student is unable to adequately address all parts of the prompt or develop their ideas. While the introduction attempts to identify reasons ('lack of awareness', 'lack of infrastructure') and solutions ('purchase-return scheme', 'user convenience'), these points remain entirely undeveloped assertions without elaboration or relevant examples. Consequently, according to the public descriptors for Task Achievement, an under-length response of this nature must be capped at Band 4.0 as it responds to the task only minimally.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The essay displays a basic attempt at logical progression by introducing the topic, outlining causes and solutions, and beginning a body paragraph with 'To begin with'. However, the severe lack of length severely restricts the overall coherence and paragraphing of the text. The second paragraph cuts off abruptly after only two sentences. Cohesive devices are minimal, with a simple transitional phrase used, but there is no cohesive chain to evaluate fully across a complete essay structure. Paragraphing is faulty due to the extreme brevity of the text. Based on what is present, the organizational structure cannot rise above a Band 4.0.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

The student demonstrates a basic vocabulary appropriate for discussing environmental habits, using terms such as 'households', 'recycle', 'discarded items', 'awareness', and 'infrastructure'. There is a minor attempt at less common phrasing like 'purchase-return scheme', but word choice and collocations are generally simple and repetitive. Spelling is accurate in the limited text produced, and vocabulary does not actively impede basic understanding, allowing the writer to secure a Band 5.0 for Lexical Resource based on the language actually produced.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as 'There are various reasons for this such as lack of awareness...' and 'To begin with, eventhough some people...'. However, grammatical control is weak. There is a spelling error ('eventhough' instead of 'even though'), a missing article ('by government' instead of 'by the government'), and issues with pluralisation and verb agreement ('scheme and provide user convenience' instead of 'providing'). The range of structures is limited and frequent errors appear in the short text provided, aligning best with a Band 5.0 descriptor.

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

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