Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-10-23

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)

Most people in other parts of the world do not recycle their waste when in fact they could. This essay will discuss why those citizens don't recycle and what can be done to change that.

Plastic bags, bottles and other waste which are thrown as rubbish can actually be recycled but most folks tend not to do that. One of the many reasons is lack of civic sense and training. People are not given proper training since their childhood on how to keep their environment neat and clean. They have no knowledge on what type of trash is recyclable and they tend to put all their rubbish in the same trash bins which is then collected by the authorities.

The governments of these countries must aknowledge that this is a serious problem which is harmful for the environment and they should start training their citizens on what type of trash is recyclable and how to dump rubbish in a proper and safe manner. Like in 2008, the government of Bangladesh launched a big campaign nation wide educating their citizens thorugh TV advertisements and through physical activitites with the help of local governments educating and training people the right way to recycle trash so it is easier for governments to tacle the waste management and recycling problem. One more thing the government can do is to introduce small programs in schools and offices and train the citizens over this issue.

To conclude, people not recycling their waste is a serious issue which leads to environmental pollution and waste of resources. People must understand why it is important and safe for the air they breathe. The responsibility comes over the government also as they should introduce programs nation wide to educate its citizens.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the question: you identify limited public knowledge and civic awareness as reasons for low recycling, then suggest government education, school and workplace programmes, and a campaign example. The response stays relevant and gives a clear overall view that recycling matters. However, the explanation of why people do not recycle is narrow: the paragraph mainly repeats the idea that people lack training, without exploring other possible barriers such as inconvenient collection systems or limited facilities. The proposed measures are relevant, but the Bangladesh example is asserted rather than clearly explained or supported, and the school and office programmes receive little detail. Develop a wider range of reasons and show how each solution would address a specific cause.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, a paragraph on causes, a paragraph on solutions, and a conclusion. This makes the main progression easy to follow, and phrases such as “One of the many reasons” and “To conclude” help signal the stages. However, some linking is mechanical, and the solutions paragraph carries several ideas in one long sentence, making the campaign example difficult to follow. The reference to “these countries” is also not very precise after the broad opening about “other parts of the world.” Separate the campaign example from the general recommendation, and use clearer links to show how each proposed action responds to the lack of knowledge identified earlier.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main points, including “recyclable,” “waste management,” “environmental pollution,” and “resources.” There is also some variation in how you refer to rubbish, such as “waste,” “trash,” and “rubbish.” However, several choices are informal or imprecise for this essay, including “folks,” “big campaign,” and “keep their environment neat and clean.” Spelling errors such as “aknowledge,” “thorugh,” “activitites,” and “tacle” are noticeable and reduce accuracy. Some phrases are also awkward, for example “the responsibility comes over the government.” Aim for more precise formal collocations and check spelling carefully; this will make your ideas sound clearer and more controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use both simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “waste which are thrown as rubbish” and a reason clause beginning “since their childhood.” Most of the message remains understandable, but some grammatical choices are inaccurate or awkward. For example, “waste which are” has a number-agreement problem, while “the responsibility comes over the government” uses an unsuitable preposition and structure. The long sentence beginning “Like in 2008” also joins several actions and clauses without clear control, so the relationship between them is hard to track. Work on agreement, sentence boundaries, and building complex sentences around one main idea at a time. More consistently accurate structures would make the argument easier to read.

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