Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-09

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 4.5)

Yes,there are many countries where people don't recycle their rubbish as much as they could. In my opinion , it is not good. People should recycle the useless things for the development of the country. We should recycle the things like plastic, cans, papers and all the other things which turns useless. By recyling the paper, we can make wood which helps us to grow more and more trees and enhance the beauty of our environment. We should also recycle the plastic, as plastic is also not good for our health. So, we should decrease the use of plastic. Government can play an important role to change this. Government should collect all the useless things and recycle them in the factories for the development of the country.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

You address the general topic and offer a relevant action: you suggest that the government collect recyclable waste and process it in factories. However, the task asks both why people do not recycle enough and what could change this. The response gives almost no explanation of the causes; saying recycling is “not good” is an opinion, not a reason for low participation. The proposed solution is also only briefly stated, with no explanation of how it would work or example to support it. The response contains 119 words, so it does not meet the 250-word minimum; 8 words copied from the task prompt were not counted. Develop several specific causes and solutions, and support them with relevant examples.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

The response stays broadly on the recycling topic, and the ideas follow a simple sequence from the writer’s opinion to examples of recyclable materials and a government action. However, the progression is not sufficiently clear because the answer does not separate or develop the two parts of the question: causes and solutions. Repeated openings such as “We should” and “Government should” make the response feel like a list rather than a connected argument. The linking word “So” signals a result, but the relationship between reducing plastic use and the proposed recycling programme is not fully explained. Organise the answer into paragraphs for causes and solutions, then use clear links to show how each point supports your argument.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.5

You use basic vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “recycle,” “plastic,” “factories,” and “environment,” so the main subject is understandable. However, the range is narrow and several words or phrases are repeated, especially “things,” “useless,” and “development of the country.” Some choices are imprecise: “make wood” does not clearly describe what happens when paper is recycled, and “all the other things which turns useless” is unclear. There is also a spelling error in “recyling.” Use more precise topic vocabulary and vary repeated terms—for example, refer to recyclable materials, waste collection, and processing. Check spelling and choose collocations that accurately describe the recycling process.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

Most sentences use simple structures, and the reader can generally follow the intended meaning. There is an attempt at a longer sentence with “By recycling the paper, we can make wood which helps us…,” but the response shows limited variety and recurring control problems. For example, “all the other things which turns useless” has a plural subject with a singular verb, while “Government can play” and “Government should collect” need an article in this context. Punctuation and spacing are also inconsistent, as in “Yes,there” and “opinion ,”. Build accuracy first with complete simple sentences, then practise combining ideas using relative clauses and cause-and-effect structures. Check subject–verb agreement, articles, and punctuation when proofreading.

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