Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-10-19

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)

People in many countries, do not recycle their rubbish. Government should make strict rule for public to recycle their all rubbish.Recycling facilities should be introduced locally.Educate people about the importance of recycling of garbage.

In many countries, people do not recycle their waste because they do not understand its importance. They just throw plastic bags, bottles and other waste in an open area. Another reason is lack of recycling facilities. For instance, in Pakistan there are no such facilities for recycling plastic bags, bottles and papers. That's why public openly spread their garbage

without thinking of

environment. There is also

reason that few people

consider recycling is a

time consuming that's

why they throw garbage

everywhere.

There are several ways to

solve this problem. Firstly,

Government should take

action against throwing

garbage in open areas.

They should educate people

about recycling through

ads, school and social

media. They should educate that recycling reduces pollution and save natural resources Secondly, they

should introduced fines

for people to throw their

waste repeatedly in a wrong place .

Thirdly, local authorities

should provide separate recycle bins in homes, schools and different stations that collect and recycle plastic bags, bottles and papers.

Conclusion, people do not recycle their waste because of lack of education and facilities. I think education, better recycling facilities and government strict rules encourage people to recycle theirs waste that makes our environment clean and protect our environment

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You address both parts of the question by identifying reasons—limited understanding, inadequate facilities and the time involved—and suggesting education, fines and more recycling bins. The Pakistan example gives one relevant illustration, and your conclusion restates the main proposals. However, several points remain brief: for example, you mention that recycling is time-consuming without explaining what makes it inconvenient or how this could be addressed. The response also contains 229 words, so it is 21 words below the required minimum; the eight words copied from the task prompt are not counted. This shortfall limits the space available to explain and support your ideas. Develop each reason and solution with a specific explanation or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is a recognisable overall structure: an opening, a paragraph on causes, a paragraph on solutions and a conclusion. Sequencing words such as “Firstly,” “Secondly” and “Thirdly” help signal the proposed actions. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to follow, and the opening lists solutions before the causes are explained. Some links are repetitive or awkward, such as “Another reason” followed by “There is also reason,” while the conclusion combines several ideas in one long sentence. Line breaks within sentences also interrupt the flow. Group related points into complete paragraphs, use clear links between cause and response, and make sure each sentence connects smoothly to the next.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “recycle,” “pollution,” “natural resources,” “facilities” and “fines,” so the reader can understand the subject and your main proposals. The range is nevertheless limited, with repeated use of “garbage,” “waste” and “recycle.” Some word choices and combinations are unnatural or unclear, such as “public openly spread their garbage,” “separate recycle bins” and “recycle their all rubbish.” These errors sometimes make the reader pause to interpret your meaning, although the central message remains understandable. Build a wider set of accurate expressions for waste management, and check collocations and word forms when revising. More precise vocabulary would help distinguish disposing of rubbish from sorting and processing recyclable materials.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both short statements and longer sentences, including explanations with “because” and “that’s why.” However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and errors are frequent enough to affect clarity. Examples include “Government should take action,” where an article is needed, “They should introduced fines,” with an incorrect verb form, and “recycling reduces pollution and save natural resources,” where the verbs do not agree. The opening also contains a comma after “countries” that separates the subject from its verb, and several sentences lack clear punctuation. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement, articles and verb forms, then proofread sentence boundaries. Aim to use a few well-controlled complex sentences rather than joining several ideas loosely.

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

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