Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-14

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 6.0)

In numerous parts of the world, people are not yet familiar with the idea of reusing waste materials. Lack of adequate knowledge and proper guideline plays a vital role for this. While there are many ways to change citizen's view in this particular matter, making them awareness of the potential benefits of recycling along with the environmental problems they can face in long term if they do not recycle should be the one to go.

One of the major factors of people not recycle much is the lack of proper guidance. For instance, many people do not know what types of rubbish can be recycled and how recycling them can be of an advantage for the society. Another major reason for this is the lack of environmental awareness. In this fast pacing life, a person doesn't have the time to think deeply about how their dumped materials can be of use or where they'll end up. Therefore, we often see people littering plastics, cans and shopping-bags in roads widely. A recent research about environment shows that, if people recycled plastics and other non-biodegradable waste products more sincerely, manufacturing new plastics would be reduced by almost 55%.

In my opinion, if a country's authority takes proper initiative to raise awareness between citizens about the advantages of recycling and how it could potentially save the environmental damage, people would be much more sincere about this. In fast world countries, government or industries even pay people if they recycle a given number of plastics/cans. I believe this is a brilliant idea to make people recycle waste materials more. This not only contributes to the benefit of environment, but also has a personal incentive for people who choose to be more thoughtful about recycling.

To conclude, government should take serious measure to make people understand the value of recycling to make it into a habit in its citizens.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for low recycling rates and potential solutions. The position is clear throughout. The ideas are relevant, such as the lack of guidance and the suggestion of financial incentives. However, some points could be more fully developed. For instance, the mention of 'fast pacing life' is a good observation, but the explanation of how this specifically hinders recycling could be more detailed. The example regarding the 55% reduction in manufacturing is a strong, specific piece of evidence that supports the argument well. Overall, the response covers all requirements of the task effectively.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, such as reasons in the second paragraph and solutions in the third. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'For instance', 'Another major reason', and 'Therefore', which help the flow of ideas. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the referencing could be smoother in places. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the distinct parts of the argument, ensuring the reader can follow the progression of ideas without difficulty.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate and appropriate for the task. You use some good topic-specific terms like 'non-biodegradable', 'manufacturing', and 'incentive'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'making them awareness' (should be 'making them aware') and 'fast world countries' (likely meant 'developed' or 'industrialized' countries). While the range is sufficient to convey meaning clearly, there is limited use of less common or more sophisticated lexical items that would elevate the score to a higher band. The vocabulary is functional but lacks a degree of precision and variety.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'people not recycle much' (should be 'people do not recycle much') and 'raise awareness between citizens' (should be 'among citizens'). Punctuation is generally correct, but there are occasional slips in subject-verb agreement and preposition usage. While these errors are noticeable, they do not impede communication. To reach a higher band, you should aim for more error-free complex sentences and ensure greater consistency in verb forms and article usage.

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

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