Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-18

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 this contemporary era, recycling has become an increasingly pressing concern in many societies. People throw a lot of waste instead of recycling, even though some of it could be recycled. This issue can be attributed to several underlying factors such as lack of awareness and infrastructure, while educate public and encourage them towards recycling practices could be implemented to address it.

The primary cause of this issue is a lack of awareness. This is mainly due to individuals do not have enough knowledge about how to recycle and reuse their waste. For instance, many citizens are confused about which bin to use such as green, blue and red bins. As a result, they put recyclable material in different dustbin, which makes recycling process challenging. Moreover, a significant number of individuals are not fully aware of the environment benefits of recycling.

A practical way to overcome the issue is that educate public. In other words, government should encourage citizen towards recycling methods and educate them by campaigns. Government also develops motivation among young, by giving incentives and rewards. For example, in Japan, there are vending machines in which people dumb their rubbish like plastic bottle, they get money as reward in terms of exchange. Authorities, not only encourage public but also make strict rules and regulations. If anyone dump their waste anywhere, fine will be imposed on them.

In conclusion, the lack awareness and adequate recycling facilities are the main reason why people fail to recycle as much as they could. Nevertheless, it can be tackled by educating the public and proper rules and regulation.

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. The ideas are relevant, such as the lack of infrastructure and the need for public education. However, the development is somewhat uneven. While the example of Japan is effective, other points, such as the 'lack of awareness,' are explained in a slightly repetitive manner. To reach a higher band, ensure that each point is fully explored with more depth rather than just stating the problem. The position is clear throughout the essay, and the conclusion effectively summarises the main arguments presented in the body paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is logically organised into clear paragraphs, each with a distinct focus. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'For instance,' 'Moreover,' and 'In conclusion,' which help guide the reader through the argument. However, some transitions are slightly mechanical or awkward, such as 'A practical way to overcome the issue is that educate public,' which lacks the necessary grammatical structure to flow smoothly. Additionally, the referencing is occasionally unclear, and some sentences feel disjointed. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each sentence connects naturally to the previous one would enhance the overall flow and coherence of the writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing the writer to convey their ideas clearly. There are some attempts at topic-specific vocabulary like 'infrastructure,' 'incentives,' and 'regulations.' However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'dumb their rubbish' (should be 'dump') and 'educate public' (should be 'educating the public'). The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, and the repetition of basic terms like 'recycling' and 'waste' suggests a need for more synonyms and a broader range of academic collocations to demonstrate greater flexibility and precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the flow, such as 'individuals do not have enough knowledge' (should be 'individuals do not have' or 'lack of knowledge') and 'educate public and encourage them' (should be 'educating the public and encouraging them'). Subject-verb agreement and article usage are inconsistent throughout the text. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the essay from reaching a higher band. Focusing on sentence construction and proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy would be highly beneficial.

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