Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

In most of the countries, residents do not recyclebin their waste as much as they shoul. This is because they are less educated, having lack of awareness, not having habbit of cleaniness, follow the trend of others and the most important is little availability of recyclebins. This can be improved by educating the people, make their habbit from chidhood, impose heavy fines and provide more recyclebins. This essay will discuss the both, problems and its solutions.

I will begin with the issues of rubbish not properly being disposed. Firstly, the residents are less educated, so they are not having much awareness. Secondly, they follow others who are not using recyclebins. For example if anyone sees another person throwing waste on the side of the road, he will throw the rubbish on the same place. Lastly, the important factor of this issue is to provide not as much dustbins as needed. This thing lead to the putting of useless things onto the road sides or any empty plot.

In counter to the problems, I will say some suggestions to make it better. Firstly, this problem can be reduced by providing awareness to the local people. Moreover show them the other side and its harmful effects of not puttin their waste into the dustbins. Secondly, make habbits of their childrens from early age to throw waste into the dustbins. Lastly, impose heavy fines for not using the dustbins. This can be delivered as a final warning.

In conslusion, we have discussed the possible problems and its solutions. In my opinion, providing more dustbins and educating people can resolve this problem.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: reasons for low recycling rates and potential solutions. However, the development of ideas is limited. For instance, the point about 'lack of education' is mentioned but not explained in depth, and the examples provided (such as people copying others' littering habits) are somewhat simplistic. While the position is clear, the arguments lack the analytical depth required for a higher band. The essay covers all parts of the task, but the supporting points are underdeveloped, leading to a somewhat repetitive structure in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the use of cohesive devices is often mechanical and repetitive. Phrases like 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'Lastly' are used in every paragraph, which makes the flow feel stilted. Additionally, some referencing is unclear, such as 'This thing lead to...' and 'This can be delivered as a final warning', which creates ambiguity. While there is an overall progression, the lack of varied linking words and occasional awkward transitions limits the coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the range and precision expected at higher levels. There are several spelling errors (e.g., 'recyclebin', 'shoul', 'habbit', 'chidhood', 'conslusion') and some awkward collocations, such as 'make their habbit' instead of 'develop habits'. The range of vocabulary is limited to basic terms, and there is little attempt to use less common or more sophisticated lexical items. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequent spelling and word-choice errors indicate a limited lexical range.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The essay relies heavily on simple sentence structures. While there are attempts at complex sentences, they are often marred by grammatical errors, such as 'This thing lead to the putting of...' and '...its harmful effects of not puttin their waste'. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement, article usage, and prepositional phrases. Punctuation is generally functional, but the overall control of grammar is inconsistent. The frequency of these errors occasionally causes the reader to pause, though they do not completely impede communication.

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

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