Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-14

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 people around the world throw away waste instead of recycling it. This essay will discuss the reasons behind this and provide some of the solutions to encourage recycling.

One of the underline factor is the lack of awareness and education. Therefore, the civilians do not reuse the excessive material and throw them away. Another crucial factor is the unavailability of the recycling bins. For instance, in countries like Germany, household sort waste into several bins. Moreover, sometimes the people feels demotivated and lazy to separate the wastage and thinks, how much can only a single person make change.

To tackle these problems, the government should commence an awareness campaigns on TV, social media and schools. Furthermore, government should organise a collection of bins in multiple colours and in every town, owing to this technique , it will fascinate children and teenagers to reuse waste rather than throwing it away. Finally, the government should make a law regarding this, so that, every citizen takes responsibility. In Addition, the government should announce any discount or reward to appreciate people and fine in case of any violation in law.

From my prospective, the government should take action to spread awareness, provide recycling bins in every neighbourhood. Lastly, announce fines and reward in this case.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the question by identifying reasons—limited awareness, too few recycling bins, and low motivation—and suggesting campaigns, more bins, laws, rewards, and fines. These are relevant ideas, but several are only briefly stated. For example, the Germany example mentions sorting waste but does not explain how access to bins affects recycling, and the proposed rewards and fines are not supported with detail. The final paragraph repeats earlier recommendations rather than adding a developed conclusion. The response is also 38 words below the required minimum, which limits the space available to explain and illustrate your points. Develop each main idea with a clear explanation or example and ensure the response meets the task length.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a paragraph on causes, a paragraph on solutions, and a concluding statement. Linking expressions such as “Moreover,” “To tackle these problems,” and “Finally” help signal the direction of the discussion. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes unclear, and the conclusion largely repeats the solutions already listed. Some connections are awkward or mechanical, particularly “owing to this technique” and “In Addition,” which does not clearly show how the reward proposal relates to the preceding point. Improve cohesion by grouping related ideas, using references that clearly identify what “this” or “these problems” means, and making the conclusion synthesise rather than repeat.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “recycling bins,” “awareness campaigns,” “separate,” “responsibility,” and “violation.” This is enough to communicate the main ideas, but several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, which keeps the vocabulary from being consistently precise. Examples include “underline factor” for a main factor, “excessive material” for recyclable waste, “collection of bins,” and “fascinate children” where you mean encourage or motivate them. “Wastage” is also less suitable than “waste” in this context. Aim for accurate, natural combinations and check word forms and spelling, such as “perspective” rather than “prospective.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a cause-and-effect construction with “Therefore” and a purpose clause beginning “so that.” The overall meaning is generally understandable, but errors in agreement, articles, plurals, and sentence construction occur repeatedly. For example, “the people feels” should be “people feel,” and “household sort waste” needs a plural subject or a singular verb with an article. In “the government should commence an awareness campaigns,” the article and noun number do not agree. Punctuation is also inconsistent, as in “technique ,” and “so that,”. Practise checking each sentence for subject–verb agreement, article use, and correct punctuation, while retaining a mix of sentence forms.

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