Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-19
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 5.5)
In many nations, pollution has become a major issue and it is due to the fact that individuals do not pay attention to recycling their garbage. This trend is driven by busy lifestyles of people and it leads to negative consequences on the environment. When people visit another place, they throw their litter on the street instead of putting them in recycle bins. I think government play crucial role in this case, they should intorduce policies and regulations. In this essay I will explain the primary causes behind this problem, namely the lack of public awareness and improved facilities.
The first reason why recycling rates are low is the poor public infrastructure. In many cities, the facilities are poorly equipped to handle the segregated waste. For instance, many places lack dustbins for plastic, paper and organic waste, forcing residents to mix all the trash into a single container. Furthermore, a widespread lack of education about what can be recycled leads to confusion. Many people are unaware of the consequences of their consumption pattern and do not know how to corresctly sort of their domestic waste.
On the other hand, states are also do not pay attention to this issue. To reverse this situation, government must take immediate measures. First, they should invest to improve recycling infrastructure. For instance, introducing coloured bins outside the every house and establishing efficient collection services. Secondly, they should introduce some strict laws that must be followed by the citizens and enforcing fines by mixing household waste, encourge people to recycle their waste.
In conclusion, low recycling rates are driven by a lck of public awareness and poor convenient facilities. However, this issue can be addressed if government invest in proper waste management system
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both parts of the prompt, exploring the causes of low recycling rates and suggesting solutions. However, there are some contradictions and shifts between the introduction and body paragraphs. In the introduction, the writer states the essay will examine 'the lack of public awareness and improved facilities', which is slightly contradictory in phrasing ('improved facilities' as a cause). The body paragraphs then discuss poor public infrastructure and lack of education. Ideas are relevant and supported with examples, such as the lack of segregated waste bins and the introduction of coloured bins, but the development remains somewhat basic. The position is generally clear, though the overall scope aligns best with a Band 6.0 descriptor due to some under-developed and slightly unclear points.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is arranged with clear paragraphing, featuring an introduction, two body paragraphs exploring causes and solutions respectively, and a conclusion. Logical organization is present overall, but progression is occasionally hindered by abrupt transitions and referencing issues, such as 'states are also do not pay attention'. Cohesive devices are used, but sometimes mechanically or incorrectly, as seen in 'On the other hand' which does not properly introduce a contrasting point here since it continues discussing institutional shortcomings. Paragraphing is used sufficiently, placing the student comfortably at Band 6.0 for coherence and cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common lexical items such as 'segregated waste', 'infrastructure', and 'consumption pattern'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation inaccuracies throughout the text, including 'corresctly sort of their domestic waste', 'convenient facilities', and 'fines by mixing household waste'. Spelling errors, such as 'intorduce' and 'lck', also occur. While communication is not severely impeded, these frequent inaccuracies and limitations keep the lexical score at a Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some capability with subordinate clauses (e.g., 'When people visit another place, they throw their litter...'). However, the text contains a high frequency of grammatical errors, particularly regarding verb forms, prepositions, and subject-verb agreement. Examples include 'government play crucial role', 'states are also do not pay attention', 'invest to improve', and 'if government invest'. These errors occasionally cause slight difficulty for the reader and prevent the grammar score from reaching Band 6.0, placing it firmly at Band 5.5.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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