Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-09-29

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 many parts of the globe, waste management became a concerning issue in recent times because individuals are not recycling their waste as much as they could. The causes of this issue and resolutions to change this are discussed further in this essay.

To begin with, the major cause of this problem is the time management. because, people nowadays do not have time due to their hectic schedules, they prioritise other activities above the waste recycling. As a result, people prefer throwing waste away more than recycling it. In addition, People are not only unaware of the benefits of recycled waste but also they do not want to do this because of the accessibility to new products. For example, a study indicates that a working person preferred to buy new water bottle when they are thirsty and throw the empty bottle away instead of recycling it. This happen because they consider that buying new bottle of water is much worth then spending time on its recycle.

However, i contend that their are several steps can be done to change this. The prominent one is spreading awareness about the benefits of recycling. If people understand how recycling can not only save their money but also contribute in the protection of environment. Secondly, what is more important to engage more people in recycle is that government should develop more recycle facilities. If people have more facilities to recycle their waste than they will send it to that facilities more frequently. For example, most of the waste produced by human beings can be used as fertilisers in farms after decomposition but decomposition plant is very expensive and required enormous space. Therefore if government facilitate this type of plants than waste can be recycled easily.

In conclusion, despite people are not able to recycle their waste because of the lack of time and unawareness of benefits, I restate that it can changed by spreading awareness and if government facilitate recycling plants.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses both parts of the prompt, exploring causes such as time constraints and lack of awareness, and proposing solutions like government facilities and educational campaigns. A clear position is maintained throughout the essay. However, some ideas are somewhat under-developed or rely on generalised assumptions. For instance, the example of a working person buying a new water bottle touches on convenience, but the explanation lacks deeper exploration. Similarly, the discussion on decomposition plants is somewhat vague. Overall, the task is addressed adequately and meets the requirements of a Band 6.0 performance, as all parts of the prompt are covered, even though the depth of idea extension could be more thorough and precise.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a logical progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, causes, solutions, and conclusion. However, cohesion is sometimes faulty or mechanical. There are awkward transitions, such as starting a sentence with a fragment ('because, people nowadays do not have time...'), and cohesive devices are occasionally misapplied or repetitive. Referencing is generally clear, but mechanical linking words like 'To begin with' and 'In conclusion' are relied upon without enough variety. Paragraphs are discernible, but internal cohesion within the second paragraph suffers from punctuation errors that disrupt the flow. This performance aligns well with the Band 6.0 descriptors for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common items such as 'decomposition', 'hectic schedules', and 'accessibility'. However, there are noticeable word-choice and collocation errors that detract from precision, such as writing 'waste recycling' instead of 'recycling waste', and stating that buying a bottle is 'much worth then spending time'. Additionally, phrases like 'facilitate this type of plants' demonstrate inaccurate lexical patterns. While meaning is generally clear, these recurring errors place the response firmly in the Band 6.0 category, where vocabulary is sufficient for the task but lacks the control and flexibility required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, attempting structures with conditional clauses ('If people understand how...') and relative clauses. However, there are frequent grammatical errors and punctuation issues that disrupt readability. Examples of errors include a sentence fragment ('To begin with, the major cause of this problem is the time management. because, people nowadays do not have time...'), incorrect articles ('the waste recycling'), verb agreement issues ('decomposition plant is very expensive and required'), and prepositional slips. Despite these errors, communication is rarely impeded entirely, and the writer succeeds in conveying their core message. This profile corresponds to a Band 5.5 or 6.0; given the presence of mix structures alongside frequent errors, a Band 5.5 is awarded.

See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.

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