Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-06

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 4.0)

in my opinion recycling rubbish is some how good that it can be used in making shoping bags and cargo boxes and also delivery boxes not food delivery boxes however those countries who are not recycling their rubbish are bieng more dirty and peoples also gets ill by the germs of the waste material they are not recycling so in my opinion recycling of rubbish is quite good

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response3.0
Coherence and Cohesion3.0
Lexical Resource4.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy4.5
Overall4.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 3.0

The response fails to meet the minimum length requirement of 250 words, as it contains only 68 words. Consequently, the task is addressed only minimally. While the writer touches upon why recycling is beneficial and why some countries fail to do it, the ideas are extremely limited and under-developed. There is no clear extension of points, and the structure lacks the development expected of a standard essay response. To improve, the student must write at least 250 words and fully explore both parts of the prompt with relevant explanations and examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 3.0

The text consists of a single, continuous run-on sentence without any paragraph breaks or logical organisation. Cohesive devices are largely absent, relying instead on repetitive conjunctions like "and also" and "however" to link clauses. There is no clear progression of ideas from introduction to conclusion. To move to a higher band, the writer needs to divide the writing into distinct paragraphs, introduce a clear overall progression of ideas, and use a variety of appropriate cohesive devices to connect sentences smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

The vocabulary used is basic and repetitive, featuring everyday terms such as "rubbish," "good," and "dirty." There are noticeable word choice and spelling inaccuracies, such as "some how" instead of "somehow," "shoping" instead of "shopping," and "bieng" instead of "being." The range of vocabulary is minimally adequate for conveying very simple ideas, but it lacks the precision and flexibility needed for higher bands. To improve, the student should incorporate a wider range of less common lexical items and pay closer attention to spelling and word formation.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

The response consists of a single, overly long complex-compound sentence that lacks proper punctuation, particularly periods and commas. There are frequent grammatical errors, such as subject-verb agreement issues in "peoples also gets ill" and awkward phrasing in relative clauses. The range of structures is limited by the lack of distinct sentence boundaries. To achieve a higher score, the writer must demonstrate control over simple and complex sentence forms, use correct punctuation to separate ideas, and eliminate basic grammatical errors.

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

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