Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)
In yester years, people were aware of environment protection and used biodegradable products like jute bags. However, today peoples are polluting environment by spreading waste all over. Some people says that people do not recycle their rubbish as much as they could. In this essay I will list the causes of this issue and suggest some measures at the end.
On tthe one hand, people do not recycle their rubbish in many countries and intentionally or non intentionally they are harming the environment. People are not aware of recycling, people don't know the process of recycling. Moreover, the process of recycling waste is very complex and time consuming and people are engaged is some sort of work, hence they have no time left to put extra effort in recycling waste. Apart from it, human being always opt for simpler process and they find disposing waste is way easier than recycling it.
On the other hand, there are several ways to change this. Firstly, government should sperad awareness about the benefits of recycling the waste and if people do not opt for recycling than what will be the consequences in future. Secondly, the process of recycling shoud be made more simple, so everyone can recycle rubbish and save the environment. Lastly, government can make rules for recycling rubbish, also they can run camapaign to motivate people towards recycling. For instance, set reward points on recycling certain amount of rubbish.
In conclusion, I strongly believe that with the implementation of such measures we can reach a substential level of recycled waste. BY the passage of time people will get use to recycling and might priortize it.
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 by explaining why people do not recycle as much as they could and suggesting measures to change this. The writer puts forward clear ideas, such as a lack of awareness, the complexity of recycling processes, and the role of government campaigns and rewards. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. Phrases like 'people are not aware of recycling, people don't know the process of recycling' show an under-extension of arguments. While a clear position is maintained throughout the essay, the supporting details remain basic and could benefit from greater elaboration and more specific examples. Overall, the response meets the core requirements of the task adequately, aligning well with the descriptors for Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The essay is generally coherent and follows a logical four-paragraph structure with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', 'Moreover', and 'Firstly' are employed to guide the reader through the text. However, some of the cohesive referencing and sentence transitions feel mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'Apart from it, human being always opt for simpler process'. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the causes of the issue from the proposed solutions, ensuring an overall logical arrangement. Despite minor mechanical flaws in cohesion, the progression of ideas is clear throughout, supporting a solid Band 6.0 score.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
The writer attempts to use a range of vocabulary appropriate for the task, including terms like 'biodegradable products', 'intentionally', 'complex and time consuming', and 'motivate people'. However, there are several noticeable lexical errors and awkward word choices, such as 'In yester years' instead of 'In years gone by', 'peoples are polluting environment', 'non intentionally', and the spelling error 'sperad' for 'spread'. Uncommon lexical items are attempted but often lack precision or accurate collocation, such as 'reach a substential level of recycled waste'. While the vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main points adequately, the frequency of word-choice and spelling slips caps the lexical score at Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating conditional structures ('if people do not opt for recycling than what will be the consequences') and relative clauses. However, grammatical accuracy is inconsistent. There are frequent errors involving subject-verb agreement ('today peoples are polluting', 'government should sperad', 'process shoud be made'), missing articles ('polluting environment', 'setting reward points'), and incorrect pluralisation ('human being always opt'). Punctuation and capitalization errors also appear, such as lowercase beginnings of sentences in places and a double capital in 'BY the passage of time'. Although these errors do not impede overall communication, their frequency prevents the writing from achieving a Band 6.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
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