Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-28

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 6.0)

In this rapidly evolving world, the issue of pollution has sparked considerable debate. People do not recycle the household waste in many countries. This essay will discuss my perspective on this topic with compelling arguments, real world examples and the solutions to address this issue.

To begin with, we are living in a society where technology has been revolutionised over time. With the advancement in technology in every field of life, industrial revolution is also undeniable. More and more products are being manufactured by industries and sold to the consumers. People being unaware of detrimental effects of throwing rubbish everywhere, purchase and use these products without properly discarding the rubbish later. Industrial waste is also a problem to get proper notice on, by the government. Industries are not properly using the ways to recycle industrial waste. Then the people are also not recycling the household waste. It is creating the climate change and the diseases which were not common before the advancement of science.

Furthermore, in the public recreational areas, visitors just flung away the waste everywhere. For instance, people visiting the beaches throw the waste on the beaches which ultimaltely is carried away by the water waves. World Health Organisation has shown a data in which the dolphins are on the verge of extinction due to swallowing of plastic bags and wrapers.

Equally important is the fact that, science has made our lives much sophisticated and convenient as compare to the past. There is also an advancement in machineries through which recycling process can be carried out smoothly. This becomes even more relevant by considering an example, Government of Germany has installed machines on every road corners. The purpose of these machinery is to recycle the plastic water bottles. There is a fixed cash reward on each bottle. So, more and more people are motivated to collect their used empty water bottles and they put them in those recycling machine and in return get money. So, the problem of pollution and recycling can be easily resolved if the government will introduce legislation and charge penalties with the people who will not comply with these rules. Separate dust bins with papers and bottles signs should be installed in every street and in different visiting areas specially on beaches and in parks. Cameras should monitor the people who will not abide by the rules and cash punishments should be charged from them.

In conclusion, with the advancement of technology in every area of life, problem of pollution can be resolved by taking proper steps by the Government as well as by the public.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the reasons why people do not recycle as much as they could (such as lack of awareness, convenience, and insufficient infrastructure) and providing solutions (such as legislation, penalties, and reverse vending machines like in Germany). The position is generally clear throughout, and the ideas are extended and supported with examples, such as the German machine system and the World Health Organization data on wildlife. However, the discussion occasionally drifts into general pollution and technology rather than focusing strictly on recycling habits, which prevents it from reaching a higher band. Overall, the task is well addressed with relevant, extended ideas that align with the Band 7 descriptor.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay demonstrates a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a discernible focus, moving from an introduction to causes, examples, solutions, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to connect ideas, such as 'To begin with', 'Furthermore', 'Equally important', and 'In conclusion'. However, there are some mechanical transitions and awkward phrasing that affect the natural flow, such as 'Industrial waste is also a problem to get proper notice on, by the government'. Paragraphing is used appropriately overall, but the middle sections could be broken down further to enhance readability. The referencing and logical links are generally clear, placing this comfortably in the Band 6 or 7 range.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses a sufficient range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'detrimental effects', 'on the verge of extinction', and 'legislation'. However, there are notable word choice and collocation errors throughout the text, such as 'flung away the waste' instead of 'fling away waste', 'showed a data' instead of 'presented data', and 'cash punishments should be charged from them' instead of 'fines should be imposed on them'. Spelling is generally accurate, but the lexical inaccuracies and unnatural collocations prevent the response from achieving a higher band score, making Band 6.0 the most appropriate fit.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating conditional structures and relative clauses. There are, however, several grammatical errors and awkward structures throughout the text, such as 'People do not recycle the household waste' (missing plural/article nuance), 'problem to get proper notice on, by the government' (awkward passive construction), and 'charge penalties with the people' (incorrect preposition). Articles and prepositions are frequent sources of error. While these errors do not impede overall communication and the meaning remains clear, the frequency of non-systematic errors places this response firmly at Band 6.0.

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