Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-09-30
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)
Recycling waste is eco-friendly and an excellent way to resure them again it is also for cleaning the environment when it's recyled and not buried in a landfill. But many individuals don't repurpose their waste in several countries. In this easy I will talk about this matter that why it is not done.
Unfortunately, Governments do not encourage recycling waste also they have inadequate waste management system. Rubbish is simply buried in the landfill. Waste recycling policies should be introduced by the government and the state must shed light on this issue. The general public have little knowledge about this problem, for instance, in some villages in the countryside, the rubbish is'nt managed properly instead the waste is thrown on the roadside or on the streets rather than recycling it. I have seen this in my village which is extremely unfortunate, it's all because of less knowledge and insufficient rubbish management.
The public find waste recycling tiring and thowing the trash is easy for them. Strict laws are necessary and will act as a deterrent to littering and demaging the environment. For tackling this predicament, the countries should provide incentives to their citizens for recycyling waste for the further utilization and cleanliness of our surroundings. A few days ago, I was doom-scrolling through Instagram and this video came up it was from a European country where a guy was recycling plastic bottles and in the end he received some money for it. It was an excellent way to motivate people for recycling the waste. Because it is the people who will reuse those again and our beautiful atmosphere won't become unclean.
In conclusion, Governments have to educate the population about this situation. Because recycling will not only help in reusing those waste materials but also help make nature clean.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
The candidate addresses both parts of the prompt, exploring why people do not recycle as much as they could and suggesting solutions such as government policies, strict laws, educational campaigns, and financial incentives. A position is presented, and relevant examples are provided, such as observations from the writer's village and a social media video about a European recycling scheme. However, some ideas lack deep extension and contain colloquial or imprecise phrasing, as seen in the opening sentence ('an excellent way to resure them again'). The response touches upon the main issues adequately, fitting the profile for Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The text features a clear overall arrangement with basic paragraphing that separates the introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty and mechanical, with awkward transitional phrases like 'Unfortunately, Governments do not encourage recycling waste also they have inadequate waste management system.' Referencing is occasionally unclear, and logical progression between sentences feels disjointed in places, particularly in the third paragraph where personal anecdotes and general arguments merge abruptly. Paragraphing is present and serves to separate main ideas, but the overall flow aligns best with Band 5.5 to 6.0, settling at 6.0 due to the recognizable structure.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'inadequate waste management system', 'deterrent', and 'predicament'. However, there are notable spelling errors ('resure', 'recyled', 'isn't', 'demaging', 'recycyling', 'thowing') and inaccurate word choices or collocations like 'doom-scrolling'. These errors do not seriously impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score to a Band 5.5, reflecting a mix of functional vocabulary alongside frequent lexical slips and non-standard forms.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing relative clauses and conditional-like structures ('Because it is the people who will reuse those again...'). However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are numerous punctuation and agreement errors, missing articles, and run-on sentences, such as 'rubbish is simply buried in the landfill' and 'this video came up it was from a European country'. Errors are frequent throughout the text, though they rarely impede overall comprehension. This performance matches the descriptors for a Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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