Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-10-20

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 of trash is not happening to enough levels in multiple countries. Many under developed countries are facing this issue and this is happening because of lack of education and inadequate level of support from the Government. Further, we will discuss in detail about it and what steps need to be taken to fix this.

Subpar level of recycling is one of the concern in many countries and there are multiple factors involved. The primary reason is uneducated people who don't know about the environmental problems that the majority of countries are facing. Majority of people in an underdeveloped nation don't know what exactly recycling is and how it could help reduce carbon emissions. Another important reason behind this problem is lack of effort from the Government of many countries. Governing body do not provide support and funding for providing different trash cans for recycling. In many countries, we don't see enough recycling containers and merely the mixed litter bags or bins are provided.

There are many things which can be done to fix the shortage of recycling. Firstmost step could be taken by leveraging social media and making people aware by posting more and more posts spreading awareness. Moreover, media can also play a big role in spreading awareness. In many developed nations, there are lot of information provided in explaining the benefits and guidance to what is recycle and how it helps our environment as well. If government support is also available in this good cause then the result would be exponential. Government can play a critical role in spreading awareness by providing a petty monetary benefit to people, by giving subsidy or refunds in their utility bills.

We have seen around the world problem of less recycling and is not to the levels in comparison to the developed nations. Lack of education and bare minimum efforts from government play a major role in this apathy. This could be resolved if people are made aware by spread of awareness via social media and press. Even, the government can play a critical role by providing benefits and by paying more attention and support to the people who starts doing more recycling.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions by identifying limited education and government support as causes, then suggesting awareness campaigns, recycling facilities, and financial incentives. These are relevant ideas, and the response maintains a generally clear view that both public knowledge and official action matter. However, the discussion is only partly developed: for example, you mention social media posts and utility-bill refunds but do not explain how these measures would change people’s everyday recycling habits. The claim that the problem is mainly found in underdeveloped countries also narrows the discussion without support, although the prompt refers to many countries generally. Develop each cause-and-solution link with a specific explanation or example to make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph on causes, one on solutions, and a conclusion. This helps the reader follow the broad direction of the argument. You also use signposting such as “The primary reason,” “Another important reason,” and “Moreover.” However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes repetitive or mechanical. The conclusion repeats the same points about education, government effort, and awareness rather than drawing the discussion together, and “Further, we will discuss in detail” is an awkward announcement of the essay’s structure. Some links between ideas are unclear, particularly the move from information in developed nations to government incentives. Use more precise referencing and connect each proposed measure directly to the problem it addresses.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “carbon emissions,” “recycling containers,” “subsidy,” and “refunds,” which allows you to discuss the issue clearly. There are also attempts at more formal wording, such as “inadequate level of support” and “play a critical role.” However, several choices are unnatural or imprecise, and some phrases are repeated, especially “spreading awareness.” Expressions such as “Subpar level of recycling,” “Firstmost step,” and “what is recycle” weaken fluency and sometimes make the intended meaning less clear. “Apathy” is also not quite accurate for the problem described, which is more specifically low participation or limited recycling. Aim for natural collocations and vary repeated terms while keeping the vocabulary precise.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt a mixture of simple and longer sentences, and the main ideas are generally understandable. However, errors occur often enough to make some sentences awkward or difficult to process. For example, “one of the concern” needs a plural noun, while “Governing body do not provide” has a subject–verb agreement problem. In “there are lot of information provided,” the article and the uncountable noun construction are incorrect. The final paragraph also contains a faulty structure in “problem of less recycling and is not to the levels,” which obscures the relationship between the ideas. Work on agreement, articles, and sentence construction, and proofread longer sentences by checking that each clause has a clear subject and verb.

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