Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · 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 6.0)

In many countries, people do not recycle their rubbish as much as they should do due to several different reasons. One of the major reasons for not recycling waste properly is lack of knowledge and the other reason i would say is lack of resources.

If people do not have proper education they would not be able to know the hazards of not recycling waste properly. For example, if i knew what possible harms it can cause to enivroment if i don't recycle my plastic waste in a proper way than i would never throw it as it is. Or i will try my best to give it for recycling. So same way people who lack knowlege will never consider if it is even a problem or not.

Another major reason, why people are not recycling their rubbish is lack of resources. let's say if we had different disposal bins for different kind of waste which very few countries i.e Japan,China etc have it would have been much easier for us to recycle all the unwanted material.I have seen that some developed countries have different buckets for glass, paper and plastic. a very important fact about these countries are they are very strict with their recycling policies i.e if someone had plastic bottle and they throw it in bucket specified for recycling of glass they will be imposed with high penalties.

To conclude all this, I will say proper knowledge regarding dangers of plastic and glass etc must be properly given at school level and different educational surveys for such topics must be done. Also there must be baskets with proper labelling on them showing which kind of waste must be recycled in which basket.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response6.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

The response addresses both parts of the question: it identifies limited knowledge and inadequate recycling facilities as causes, then proposes education and clearly labelled bins. The examples about sorting glass, paper and plastic, and penalties for incorrect disposal help make the discussion relevant. The explanation of limited knowledge is supported with a personal hypothetical example, but the facilities point is less fully developed: it would be stronger to explain how inconvenient or unavailable collection services affect people in different settings. The conclusion restates the proposed solutions, though it could draw the two causes and remedies together more explicitly. The ideas are relevant and the position is clear; fuller explanation and more precise support would strengthen the response further.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay has a clear overall arrangement: an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two causes, and a conclusion. This makes the line of argument easy to follow. Linking phrases such as “For example,” “Another major reason,” and “To conclude” signal the stages of the response, although some transitions feel formulaic, and the opening repeats “reason” closely. Within the second body paragraph, the discussion moves from bins to strict policies and penalties; a clearer explanation of how these points connect would improve progression. Some references, such as “these countries,” are understandable but broad. More varied linking and clearer connections between examples and claims would make cohesion smoother.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate the main ideas, with relevant terms such as “disposal bins,” “recycling policies,” “penalties,” and “proper labelling.” However, the range is limited in places, and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or repetitive. For example, “different kind of waste” would be more natural as “different types of waste,” while “hazards of not recycling” could be expressed more precisely as “environmental consequences of failing to recycle.” Spelling errors such as “enivroment” and “knowlege,” along with repeated use of “proper,” reduce accuracy. Aim for more precise environmental vocabulary and check spelling carefully to show greater control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex forms, including conditional structures such as “If people do not have proper education…” and “if we had different disposal bins…”. These attempts help explain causes and possible outcomes, and the meaning is generally clear. However, some sentence structures and punctuation are inaccurate. For instance, “which very few countries i.e Japan,China etc have it” is an awkward relative clause, and “a very important fact about these countries are” has subject–verb disagreement. Capitalisation of “I” and sentence openings is also inconsistent, and several long sentences need clearer punctuation. Practise accurate relative clauses, agreement, and sentence boundaries while retaining the range of structures you are attempting.

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

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