Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-10-28

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 5.0)

In many countries, people do not recycle their rubbish as much as they could. I agree with this statement because recycling is a valuable resource for producing many other products that benefit humans and plants. I think we have to learn about recycling.

Firstly, it has been noticed in many countries that individuals do not recycle their rubbish as much as they could because they lack awareness. For instance, in the past, our elders liked recycling, and they knew many methods of recycling in their daily lives. Many people still do not know about recycling. However, nowadays many contryies used recycling wastege to produce energy and many other products for their public and gives them more facilities.

Secondly, the use of recycling makes the environment clean and pollution-free. Everyone should know about the rubbish rules. It will also help those working in the sanitation department. For example, if you throw your trash outside or mix it together, it will be challenging to collect the trash for recycling. Moreover, in our homes, many people put kitchen and other waste together, which spoils the value of the recyclable rubbish.

Thirdly, the government should conduct a seminar or public awareness program about recycling. Furthermore, demonstrate to the public why recycling is crucial for the country and the environment. Recycling also helps the country's economy.

In conclusion, in many countries, individuals do not recycle their rubbish as much as they could; as a result, many countries still cannot progress as much as they could.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both causes and possible action: lack of awareness is identified as a reason, and you recommend government seminars and public-awareness programmes. Examples about separating kitchen waste and making rubbish harder to collect are relevant. However, the response is under the required length: it contains 216 words, 34 short of the 250-word minimum, and this limits how fully you can explain your ideas. The opening also says “I agree with this statement,” although the task asks why recycling is limited and how to improve it; a direct position on those questions would be clearer. Several points, such as recycling’s economic benefits and the role of elders, are mentioned but not explained or supported in enough detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

Your response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, body paragraphs and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “Firstly,” “Secondly,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the main points, and the example about mixing household waste supports the discussion. However, the progression is not consistently clear: the second paragraph shifts from environmental cleanliness to sanitation workers and household sorting without showing how each point develops the previous one. “Thirdly” introduces a recommendation, but the paragraph is very brief and begins with a sentence fragment (“Furthermore, demonstrate…”). The conclusion repeats the prompt’s wording rather than bringing together the causes and solutions. Use clearer links between each main idea and develop each paragraph around one central point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “recycle,” “rubbish,” “sanitation department,” “environment,” and “public awareness program,” so the reader can understand the subject. There are also attempts at more specific expressions, such as “recyclable rubbish” and “produce energy.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or forms are inaccurate, which makes some phrases awkward: “contryies,” “wastege,” and “gives them more facilities” are examples. “Rubbish” and “recycling” are repeated frequently, and phrases such as “rubbish rules” are not precise in this context. Build a wider set of accurate terms for waste separation, collection, incentives and public education, and check spelling and collocations carefully.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including a reason clause in “because they lack awareness” and a conditional example beginning “if you throw your trash outside.” These structures help communicate your main points. However, the range is limited, and errors occur often enough to make some sentences awkward or unclear. For example, “nowadays many contryies used recycling wastege … and gives them” has inconsistent verb forms and agreement, while “Furthermore, demonstrate to the public…” is a sentence fragment without a clear subject. The opening phrase “I think we have to learn about recycling” is grammatically understandable but does not connect smoothly to the task questions. Practise complete sentences, consistent subject–verb agreement and accurate verb tenses.

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

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