Band 7.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-08-19

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 7.5)

In many nations, people often do not recycle waste materials, such as bottles and newspapers. This essay aims to analyze the underlying reasons behind this phenomenon before proposing some viable solutions to address this issue.

This trend can be attributed to three main factors. One significant contributor is individuals' lack of concern for environmental issues. Many people tend to overlook pressing global problems such as soil degradation, global warming, and climate change. Instead, they prioritize career advancement and improving their quality of life over protecting the increasingly polluted environment. Consequently, eco-friendly activities like recycling receive little public attention, leading to a lack of action in properly managing waste materials. Another contributing factor is the lack of accessibility to proper recycling facilities and services. In many areas, particularly impoverished and rural ones, there are often overstretched regional budgets, which hinder individuals' ability to engage in recycling campaigns or environmental protection programs. Without convenient access to recycling bins or collection services, individuals are less likely to adopt recycling habits. Furthermore, the absence of governmental policies or incentives to encourage recycling exacerbates this problem, leaving people with little motivation to separate waste materials for recycling.

Considering the aforementioned issues, a comprehensive approach would be the most effective solution to address this problem. To encourage the public to adopt recycling habits, the government should collaborate with local authorities to launch environmental preservation projects and educational programs that equip individuals with essential environmental knowledge. This knowledge would serve as a solid foundation for them to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle. In parallel, investments in waste-processing systems should be made in remote and rural areas, where such facilities are often lacking or insufficient. This, in turn, would provide individuals with the necessary tools to create a collective impact, multiplied by thousands or even billions of people, in addressing urgent environmental degradation through recycling waste materials.

In conclusion, the phenomenon of neglecting recycling stems from various factors, including a lack of environmental concern, inadequate access to recycling facilities, and insufficient governmental initiatives. To reverse the current situation, we need to implement a holistic approach that involves government-local collaboration on educational campaigns and recycling programs, alongside significant investments in waste management systems in rural areas.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.5

The response fully addresses both parts of the prompt. You have clearly identified three distinct reasons for the lack of recycling—individual apathy, lack of infrastructure, and insufficient government policy—and provided corresponding solutions. The ideas are well-developed and logically extended, such as the explanation of how budget constraints in rural areas impact recycling accessibility. Your position is clear from the introduction and maintained throughout the essay. To reach a band 9, you could further refine the depth of your examples, perhaps by briefly mentioning a specific type of successful policy (e.g., 'pay-as-you-throw' schemes) to add even more weight to your arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the transition between the causes and the solutions is seamless. You make effective use of cohesive devices such as 'Consequently,' 'In parallel,' and 'Furthermore,' which help guide the reader through your argument. The paragraphing is appropriate, with a clear introduction, body paragraphs for causes and solutions, and a concise conclusion. The referencing is precise, and the flow of information is natural throughout the text, meeting the requirements for a high band score.

Lexical Resource — Band 7.5

You demonstrate a wide and flexible range of vocabulary that is well-suited to the academic context. Phrases such as 'underlying reasons,' 'pressing global problems,' 'exacerbates this problem,' and 'holistic approach' show a high level of lexical control. Your word choices are precise and contribute to the formal tone of the essay. There are no noticeable errors in collocation or spelling. To push toward a band 9, you could incorporate even more sophisticated, idiomatic, or topic-specific collocations, though your current usage is already very strong and accurate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 8.0

Your control over grammar is excellent. You use a variety of complex sentence structures, such as conditional clauses and participial phrases, with high accuracy. For example, 'Without convenient access to recycling bins or collection services, individuals are less likely to adopt recycling habits' is a well-constructed complex sentence. The majority of your sentences are error-free, and punctuation is used correctly throughout. There are no significant grammatical slips that impede communication. Your ability to maintain accuracy while using a range of structures is a clear strength of this piece.

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