Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-22
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 recent years, it has been noticed that the world is getting more polluted due to the fact that a large number of people refuse to recycle their daily garbage even though they can do that without any effort. From my point of view, there can be several reasons behind this including the lack of knowledge about environment, and these problems can be solved via numerous approaches. In this essay the reasons and the solutions of this problem will be discussed.
First and foremost, numerous people do not possess the enough knowledge about the benefits of recycling and how this process could be helpfull towords the environment. As a result, they often do not care about the materials which can be reused or can be used for other purposes. Moreover, a large number of people do not show interest about saving the nature and it's biodiversity as well. They usually take the advantages of nature for granted and do not give attention to whether they have any responsibilities towards it or not. Consequently, either they frequently just throw away the rubbishes or they burn them in an open air.
Although these have become major problems now a days, these can be assessed via some practical approaches. First of all public awareness about protecting the environment and the biodiversity via recycling process, is necessary. For this, advertisements and several awareness campaigns can be better options. Furthermore, builiding strict rules and regulations which would include charges, and even punishments if necessary, can be implicated by government. Overall, if people is well educated about the consequences of hampering the natural balance by throwing away the garbage and rubbishes, without considering their recycling value, the people themselves would like to reuse the materials and save the environment as well.
In conclusion, it can be said that, today's world is facing a huge number of prolems specially because of plastic uses and most the materials are not getting proper follow up methods for recycle. Eventually if peoples and governments come forword, these problems can be solved the the world can be a btter place to live again.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the reasons why people do not recycle as much as they could and providing practical solutions to change this behavior. In the introduction, the writer outlines their position clearly and sets out the scope of the essay. The main body paragraphs develop relevant ideas, such as a lack of environmental awareness and the need for public campaigns or government regulations. However, some arguments tend to be slightly generalized and could benefit from further specific examples or deeper extension. For instance, the discussion on how garbage is disposed of in open air is relevant, but it lacks a concrete example. Overall, the task is adequately fulfilled, aligning with a Band 6.5 or 6 descriptor for addressing all parts of the prompt with relevant, though occasionally underdeveloped, ideas.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is logically organized into four paragraphs, featuring a clear introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader through the text, using phrases such as 'First and foremost', 'Moreover', and 'First of all'. However, referencing and cohesion are sometimes slightly faulty or mechanical, as seen in minor awkward transitions. Paragraphing is used appropriately, with each paragraph focusing on a distinct aspect of the prompt—reasons in the second paragraph and solutions in the third. While the logical progression is generally maintained throughout, the mechanical nature of some cohesive ties prevents the essay from reaching higher bands. This performance firmly sits at a Band 6.0 level.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The student displays an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'biodiversity', 'consequences', and 'regulations'. However, there are notable spelling and word-choice inaccuracies throughout the text, such as 'helpfull towords' instead of 'helpful towards', 'builiding' instead of 'building', 'implicated' instead of 'implemented', and 'rubbishes' (rubbish is generally uncountable). There are also stylistic issues like 'now a days' instead of 'nowadays'. These errors do not impede communication, but they restrict the lexical score. The vocabulary demonstrates sufficient range for basic precision, but frequent minor lexical and spelling errors keep the score at a Band 6.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, utilizing structures like conditional clauses ('if people is well educated... the people themselves would like to...'). There are, however, several grammatical errors and awkward agreements, most notably 'if people is well educated' (subject-verb agreement), 'most the materials' (missing preposition/article), and 'solved the the world' (typo and structural awkwardness). Punctuation is generally acceptable, though occasional comma splices and spacing errors occur. The errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent the response from achieving a Band 7.0. The overall control of grammar aligns well with a Band 6.0 descriptor.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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