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)

People are seen not reprocessing materials to reuse as they are meant to in many places. I think there are several crucial reasons responsible for this. Firstly , the lack of awareness of recycling can lead them to believe it is useless. Secondly, many people might want to avoid the hassle of making products reusable altogether. Moreover, there are countries and family who are simply unable to afford the cost of converting plastic or other products into things that can be useful once again.

It can be changed slowly by bringing lights to the pros of reclaiming things as much. For instance, we can add a new chapter to social science of children's book. As they learn, they'd also be execute and spread that knowledge among their guardians. we should also hold social seminars, create free social awareness club etc. Furthermore, we should invent easier way to recycle things like making handmade craft or utensils with items that were for one time use. Also, strict govt rules and regulations should be imposed for people who still seem reluctant and abandon taking part in such serious matter for environment because of their own selfish reasons. the act of discarding plastics or things that can be reused in any way should make people be faced with charges and such law should be made and executed firmly. Being careless on this matter can cost us our own ecological system and put our lives at risk. Thus we ought to make more and more people join this great contribution and work towards saving our environment from pollution and climate change.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: why people do not recycle as much as they could and what can be done to change this. The student outlines clear reasons such as lack of awareness, the hassle involved, and financial constraints. For solutions, the writer suggests educational initiatives, social seminars, easier recycling methods, and government regulations. The ideas are generally relevant and extended with examples, such as adding chapters to children's books or imposing fines. However, some arguments lack deep development, placing the response comfortably within the Band 6 or 7 criteria. For instance, the explanation of financial constraints is rather brief ('countries and family who are simply unable to afford the cost'). Overall, the task is adequately fulfilled with a clear position maintained throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The text demonstrates a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas. The writer uses cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'Moreover', and 'Furthermore' to structure the response. Paragraphing is employed to separate the two main parts of the prompt—reasons in the first paragraph and solutions in the second. However, referencing and cohesion can be slightly clunky at times, such as 'countries and family who are simply unable' and 'As they learn, they'd also be execute and spread that knowledge'. While cohesive devices are present, they occasionally feel mechanical. Paragraphing is sufficient, and the flow of ideas is generally clear, guiding the reader smoothly from the causes to the proposed interventions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'reprocessing materials', 'crucial reasons', 'ecological system', and 'reluctant and abandon'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'bringing lights to the pros' (bringing to light / highlighting), 'spread that knowledge among their guardians' (parents or families), and 'invent easier way to recycle things like making handmade craft'. Spelling is generally good, but awkward phrasing prevents the lexical score from reaching higher bands. The vocabulary used is sufficient to communicate the main ideas effectively, but lacks the precision and natural control seen at Band 7.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some variety with structures like conditional and modal clauses ('As they learn, they'd also be execute...', 'Being careless on this matter can cost us...'). However, there are several noticeable grammatical errors and awkward structures, such as 'People are seen not reprocessing materials to reuse as they are meant to', 'they'd also be execute', 'create free social awareness club', and 'the act of discarding plastics... should make people be faced with charges'. Punctuation and capitalization errors also occur, such as a missing capital letter at the beginning of 'we should also hold'. Despite these errors, they rarely impede communication, allowing the reader to follow the arguments without major confusion.

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

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