Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-01

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)

Many countries are not able to utilize their waste in a smart waste. There can be many reasons for this like not having enough waste recycling plants, lack of waste separating awareness, people ignoring to look after their own environment. In this essay i will be describing how can these problem can be tackled.

There are many countries that are facing severe air, water and land pollution. One reason for it is not enough investment in waste recycling plants by the government. These recycling plants could be turned into energy generating sites by burning waste. Due to lack of planning the garbage is taken from homes and dumped in sea or far away land. This negligence not only endangers life of aquatic animals but also plants and trees on land. For instance, in country like Pakistan there are streets and societies where waste collectors do not reach and that is purely a flaw in government policy.

Furthermore, many people liter on road sides, parks, beach and other tourist places. The government should create proper dustbins to protect tourism and the environment as well. However, awareness should also be provided to keep our environment clean so that people throw their trash in bins. Japan is an example for this as a hefty fine is imposed on mixing wet and dry trash. Moreover, people also properly cover glass they throw so that no animal gets harmed.

In conclusion, government policies need to be strict regarding this issue as many countries have turned their trash into revenue by converting it into energy they can utilize. So it is not impossible for societies to look after their environment and follow waste recycling guidelines.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the reasons for poor recycling habits and potential solutions, such as government investment in recycling plants and stricter regulations like those in Japan. However, the development of ideas is uneven. While the second body paragraph provides specific examples like Pakistan, other points remain somewhat under-developed or general, such as the mention of people ignoring their environment. The position is clear throughout, but deeper exploration of the main causes would elevate the task response to a higher level.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement with clear attempts at organization, such as using 'Furthermore' and 'In conclusion' to signal shifts in focus. However, cohesion can sometimes feel mechanical or slightly faulty. For instance, the referencing in phrases like 'how can these problem can be tackled' is unclear and repetitive, and the progression between sentences within paragraphs occasionally lacks smooth transitions. Paragraphing is used, but the logical flow between ideas requires more careful management to ensure seamless progression throughout the text.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully attempting less common items such as 'severe air, water and land pollution', 'negligence', and 'revenue'. However, there are noticeable limitations and inaccuracies in word choice and collocations, such as writing 'smart waste' instead of an effective waste management system, and 'liter on road sides' where spelling and word formation need attention. These lexical errors do not impede communication, but they reflect a struggle with precision and natural phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over structure with sentences like 'The government should create proper dustbins to protect tourism and the environment as well.' However, there are some errors in grammar and punctuation throughout the text, including article misuse ('in country like Pakistan'), preposition issues, and faulty phrasing in complex structures like 'how can these problem can be tackled'. Fortunately, these errors rarely impede communication and the meaning remains generally clear.

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