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 many parts of the world, people do not reuse their waste materials as much as they could. There are many ways of recycling the products, which should be attempted by people all over the world. In this essay, I will discuss this issue and give possible changes that can be made.

There are many countries in the world in which there is no concept of reusing the products wasted by people, which they call rubbish. People can recycle a lot of things like plastic bottles, glass, and clothes. Some policies should be made by the government. For example, there should be recycling bins on the road side mentioning the bins, such as plastic, glass material, and other stuff that can be recycled. So, when people have something which is not of their use, they can put that into the particular bin.

Furthermore, in some countries around the world, there are recycling machines in which people put their bottles and get money according to the quantity of the bottles. Moreover, people do not throw the reuseable material, instead make money out of it. In this way, the material they were calling rubbish and throwing away turned into a reward by placing in recycling machines. This method is rare, but should be used in every part of the world to take advantage of reusing the products.

In conclusion, I believe that people do not reuse their rubbish because they are tired of using this, and want some change. There can be a lot of changes made, which involves recycling bins on the road and recycling machines which would be a great idea for the material that have been used before.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You address both parts of the question by proposing recycling bins and bottle-return machines, and the examples of plastic, glass and clothes make the topic relevant. However, the response only partly answers why people recycle less than they could. The conclusion says people are “tired of using this, and want some change,” but this is unclear and does not explain the main barriers, such as inconvenience, limited facilities or lack of awareness. The solutions are more developed than the causes, and the suggestions are mostly asserted rather than supported with specific explanation. To strengthen the response, explain a clear reason for low recycling and show how each proposed measure would address it, using a relevant example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion, and the body moves from sorting waste into bins to incentivising returns through machines. Linking expressions such as “For example,” “Furthermore” and “In conclusion” help signal this structure. However, the overall progression is not fully clear because the essay promises to discuss the issue but gives little explanation of its causes, and the conclusion repeats the proposed measures rather than drawing together the argument. Some connections are also awkward or repetitive, particularly the repeated references to “reusing” and “rubbish.” Organise the body around the two task questions—causes first, then solutions—and use clearer references to connect each example to the point it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use enough topic vocabulary to communicate the main ideas, including “recycling bins,” “plastic bottles,” “glass” and “recycling machines.” There are also attempts at more specific phrasing, such as “according to the quantity of the bottles.” However, vocabulary is repetitive and some choices are inaccurate or unnatural: “reuse” is often used where “recycle” is intended, “the products wasted by people” is unclear, and “reusable material” does not fit the context of discarded bottles. “Road side” and “stuff” are also imprecise for this formal essay. Aim for more accurate recycling terminology and natural collocations, such as “household waste,” “separate waste by material” and “financial incentive.”

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mixture of simple sentences and some longer structures, including relative clauses (“in which people put their bottles”) and a conditional idea (“when people have something…”). The main message is generally understandable, but control is uneven, especially in longer sentences. For example, “There are many countries … in which there is no concept … which they call rubbish” has an unclear relative-clause reference, while “the material that have been used before” has a subject–verb agreement error. The sentence beginning “Moreover, people do not throw…” also joins contrasting ideas without a suitable structure. Practise building complex sentences with clear subjects and references, and check agreement and punctuation when combining clauses.

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