Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-11-01
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)
In recent years, the increasing amount of waste is serious issue in some countries because of easily accessible of disposable products in the market and consumer culture, but these problems can be addressed by governments and individuals. I will discuss several reasons for this issue with some possible solutions in the upcoming paragraphs.
On the one hand, there are several reasons for individuals cannot recycle their waste. The main cause is the consumer cultures. In other words, we are living in the use and throw world, where people can use disposable products such as paper bags, paper glass and also plastic products. Additionally, these products are easily available in the market and people can buy and use these goods because of less expensive of the products. As a result, individuals used use and throw items and not do recycle. For example, in India, a wide range of people use disposable goods and not take care of recycling process. Therefore, the amount of waste are increased in the world and it is very harmful for environment.
On the other hand, this problem can be solved by governments to spreads awareness among people to organize free environmental camp in the society. To elaborate, governments should make strict laws and encourage to people to use reusable products in daily usage such as cloth bags and long- lasting goods. To add more, governments can encourage people to reduce plastic products and use and throw products. Also, government should investment in recycling process
In conclusion, there are a several reasons for the increasing amount of rubbish because of the use of single use products and easily available goods in the market, but this can be solved by governments to provide
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
You address both questions: you identify disposable products, consumer habits and low prices as reasons, then suggest awareness campaigns, stricter laws and reusable goods. These are relevant ideas, and the India example gives one point some context. However, the explanation of why people fail to recycle is not fully clear: the response focuses more on using disposable items than on barriers such as inconvenient collection facilities or lack of information. The solutions are also only partly developed; for example, you mention government investment in recycling but do not explain what facilities or services this would provide. The conclusion is unfinished, so your final position and summary are not clearly completed. Develop each cause and solution with a specific explanation or example.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a recognisable overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for causes and solutions, and a concluding paragraph. Signposting such as “On the one hand,” “On the other hand,” and “In conclusion” helps readers follow the intended progression. Within paragraphs, however, connections can be mechanical or unclear. For instance, “As a result” introduces a consequence, but the sentence that follows is grammatically difficult to interpret, and “To add more” does not create a precise link between the proposed actions. The final paragraph stops before completing its point, which weakens the overall sense of closure. Use clearer links between each cause and its consequence, and ensure the conclusion completes the summary.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “disposable products,” “consumer culture,” “reusable products,” “strict laws,” and “recycling process.” This gives you enough language to communicate the main ideas, and some phrases show an attempt to discuss the issue specifically. However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or repetitive, which sometimes makes the meaning less clear. Examples include “paper glass,” “use and throw world,” “less expensive of the products,” and “investment in recycling process.” The repeated use of “products” and “use and throw” also limits flexibility. Aim to learn natural collocations for waste management and vary your wording, while checking that each phrase expresses the intended meaning precisely.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a relative clause in “where people can use disposable products” and a conditional-style explanation beginning “because of.” However, control is limited, and errors occur across sentence structures, verb forms, agreement and articles. For example, “the increasing amount of waste is serious issue” needs an article, while “the amount of waste are increased” has an agreement and verb-form problem. The sentence “governments to spreads awareness” also has an incorrect verb pattern, and the final sentence is incomplete. These errors sometimes make the reader work to understand your meaning. Practise building accurate sentences around one main idea, then add subordinate clauses and check subject–verb agreement and sentence completion.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.