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)

In many countries, people do not recycle their rubbish as much as they could. There are many reasons for this trend. In this essay, I will discuss both reasons and measures which would be taken to change this.

There are many reasons why people do not recycle as much as they could. Firstly, most of people are unaware about the importance of recycling. They do not have knowledge about it. Secondly , it seems to wastage of time. To explain it more, people are busing in their work so they don't have time to separate plastic bottles and cans from garbage. As a result, they find it difficult to it.

There are some measures which can be taken to tackle this problem.

Firstly, Government should make some laws to follow it. Moreover, local authorities should provide separate bins for plastic, glass and waste at local places such as parks, museum. Secondly, Government should also educate local residents about the importance of recycling. They can also teach about it is harmful for environment. Due to this, people can understand the importance of it.Apart from this, schools should also organise seminars about the recycling to teach students. Government could introduce fines whn people ignore recycling. Due to this, they can not break rules.

In conclusion, people often fail to recycle because they do not have know the importance of recycling. However, governemnt should encourage local people to do it because it helps to save the environment. There are also other measures which will be taken to solve this problem.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both questions: you identify limited awareness and lack of time as reasons, then suggest education, separate bins, laws and fines. These are relevant ideas, but several are only briefly stated. For example, the point that people are busy is not supported with a specific explanation or example, and the proposed fines are not developed beyond saying people would follow the rules. The conclusion repeats the main points rather than adding a clear, fully developed summary. The response is also 243 words, below the required 250-word minimum; the 14 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Develop each main idea with an explanation or example and meet the minimum length.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, a paragraph on causes, a paragraph on solutions and a conclusion. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Secondly” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the main stages. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, and several ideas are linked without clear explanation. For instance, “Due to this” is repeated, while “Apart from this” introduces another solution without showing how it relates to the previous suggestions. The sentence “As a result, they find it difficult to it” also makes the connection unclear. Use fewer formulaic transitions and make the relationship between each claim and its explanation explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “recycle,” “separate bins,” “local authorities,” “residents” and “fines,” so the reader can understand the subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. Examples include “unaware about the importance,” “it seems to wastage of time,” and “teach about it is harmful for environment.” Repeated use of “importance” and “recycling” also makes the writing less varied. Spelling errors such as “governemnt” and “whn” are noticeable. Build a wider set of accurate expressions for causes and solutions, and check spelling and collocations when editing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt some longer sentences, such as “To explain it more, people are busing in their work so they don't have time to separate plastic bottles and cans from garbage,” and use basic linking clauses to explain ideas. However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to follow. Examples include “most of people,” “they find it difficult to it,” and “people do not have know the importance.” There are also problems with articles, verb forms and sentence construction in “Government should also educate local residents” and “They can also teach about it is harmful.” Practise building accurate complex sentences and check each sentence for a complete, correctly formed clause.

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