Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS General Essentials · 2026-11-04

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)

Enviromental pollution is a menance because many countries do not recycle their refuse. Majority of low income countries have no policies on recycling of waste products. To change this, we need to develope and implement tough polices on waste management and educate the public on the importance of keeping the enviroment clean.

First and foremost, many developing countries are devoid of policies to effectively address waste management. Heavy penalties and imprisonment should be implemented on envroment conservation policies to curb pollution. For example, in Kenya, the fine for using plastick bags is 5oo shillings. This is not punitive enough to deter rogue business people from engaging in polythene bag business. If the polices were reviewed to be tough, then people would strive to keep the enviroment clean.

Secondly, very few people understand the importance of keeping the enviroment clean. There is need for public education on effective enviromental conservation for future generations. For example, majority of the people in the Coastal towns do not understand tha sewage disposal should not be done in the ocean as this affects marine animals.

In conclusion, we need to recycle our rubbish more so as to preserve the enviroment for future generations.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both questions by identifying weak recycling policies and limited public understanding as reasons, then proposing stricter enforcement and education. The Kenya example and the sewage example make the discussion relevant. However, the response only partially develops the task: it focuses broadly on pollution and environmental cleanliness rather than explaining specifically why people fail to recycle household rubbish or how practical recycling could be made easier. The conclusion repeats the need to recycle but does not bring the proposed solutions together. The response is also 52 words below the required minimum, which limits the space available to explain and support your ideas. Develop each cause and solution with more specific detail and examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, two body paragraphs signposted by “First and foremost” and “Secondly,” and a conclusion. The ideas generally progress from policy enforcement to public education, and examples are placed alongside the relevant points. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some of the stronger control associated with the next level. However, the link between the stated problem—low recycling—and the examples about plastic-bag penalties and sewage disposal is not always explicit. The conclusion also introduces no synthesis of the two solutions. Use clearer transitions to explain how each example relates to recycling, and connect the final paragraph directly to the causes and remedies discussed.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some topic-relevant vocabulary, including “waste management,” “heavy penalties,” “public education,” and “marine animals,” which helps communicate the subject. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “punitive enough to deter.” However, the range is limited and several spelling errors are noticeable, including “Enviromental,” “menance,” “develope,” and “polices.” Some word choices are imprecise or awkward: “implement ... policies on environment conservation” does not clearly express how enforcement would work, while “polythene bag business” is less natural than a phrase describing the sale or use of plastic bags. Check spelling carefully and choose precise collocations that directly describe recycling systems and behaviour.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mixture of simple sentences and some more complex forms, including the conditional “If the polices were reviewed to be tough, then people would strive...” and the clause “as this affects marine animals.” Meaning is generally understandable, but grammatical control is uneven. For example, the opening “Majority of low income countries” needs an article, and “There is need for public education” also requires an article in standard usage. In “the fine ... is 5oo shillings,” the sentence structure is clear, though the surrounding phrasing could be made more controlled. Aim to produce a wider variety of accurate complex sentences, and proofread articles, sentence construction, and punctuation so errors do not distract from your ideas.

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