Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Academic Practice Accelerator · 2026-11-03

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 some countries, citizens do not participate in recycling rubbish activities. Either they are not aware of the importance of a healthy environment, or they simply do not care about the circumstances we will face in the future. This essay will discuss these two causes and how we can overcome these problems.

In our society, some people are still not fully aware of global warming and the environment, or the consequences we might face if we do not take proper steps now. Such an example: some people, by default, do not check the green eco sign before buying a product. They do not give a second thought before buying a plastic bottle. On the other hand, there are people who simply do not pay attention to such things. For instance, it is a very common bad habit of so many people: after eating a banana, they throw the peel anywhere, not in a bin. Likewise, they throw their rubbish and pollute the environment. They do not think about recycling.

This attitude can be reduced by teaching children about the effects of environmental pollution. By adding lessons to their academic curriculum and making them do recycling activities, it will build up in their psyche to do so throughout their life, and for the next generation. For common citizens, to let them know the results of not proper recycling, the government can spread the negative sides of not recycling waste and by rewarding those who recycles.

To conclude, it is ultimate that if an individual does not change, society may not change; change comes from the individual. Government can let the information reach the citizens, but the main responsibility lies with the people who live in this environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both parts of the question: you identify limited awareness and indifference as reasons for low recycling, then suggest education, school activities, government information campaigns and rewards. The examples of buying plastic bottles and discarding banana peels make the causes more concrete. However, the causes overlap somewhat, and the discussion of solutions is less developed: for example, you do not explain how rewards would work or why they would change adults’ behaviour. The opening also frames the issue mainly as awareness of environmental harm, while practical barriers such as inconvenient collection systems are not considered. Develop each main point with a clearer explanation of its impact and a specific example to make the response more fully supported.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, moving from an introduction to causes, solutions and a conclusion. Paragraphing helps the reader follow this progression, and signposts such as “On the other hand,” “For instance” and “To conclude” make relationships between ideas visible. At times, however, the links feel mechanical or the reference is unclear. “Such an example” does not connect smoothly to the preceding point, and “This attitude” could refer to either lack of awareness or indifference. The causes and solutions are also grouped into long paragraphs, so the shift between distinct ideas is not always easy to track. Use clearer topic sentences and refer back to each cause explicitly when explaining the matching solution.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “global warming,” “environmental pollution,” “academic curriculum” and “recycling activities.” These choices make the subject clear, and the examples are generally easy to understand. There are also some imprecise or unnatural expressions, such as “recycling rubbish activities,” “the circumstances we will face” and “the negative sides of not recycling waste.” “Green eco sign” is unclear, while “build up in their psyche” sounds unsuitable for this context. Aim for more natural collocations and precise terms, such as “recycling habits,” “future consequences,” “environmental label” and “instil the habit.” This would make the argument sound more fluent and appropriately formal without changing its meaning.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and more complex forms, including the contrast in “Either they are not aware … or they simply do not care” and the conditional idea in “if we do not take proper steps now.” Meaning is generally clear, but some grammatical errors and awkward constructions remain. “Some people, by default, do not check” is not a complete example after “Such an example,” and “those who recycles” has a subject–verb agreement error. In “By adding lessons … it will build up,” the opening phrase does not clearly match the subject of the main clause. There are also punctuation issues around the example introduced by “Such an example.” Practise complete sentence structures, agreement, and ensuring introductory phrases logically attach to the subject that follows.

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