Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-08-28
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
Concern for the environment is growing and more and more people are choosing to recycle. But some people suggest that recycling is not enough. They believe we need to consume less.
Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge and experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
As populations have started to increase, demand for plastic and paper has increased and due to this degradation of forests have started to occur. Although some people agree that they should recycle but some believe they need to consume less. In my opinion, consuming less is much better.
Mostly people prefer recycling since it causes reduction in landfills and due to this it decreases pollution and wastage. Moreover, we can recycle the reused products and keep bins that create a division between materials we can recycle and reuse, such as; water bottles, plastic wrappers etc. It also save some natural resources and energy since it keeps for example; turning non-renewable energy into useful power and recycling helps will turning products into raw materials. However, recycling does require energy and does not stop people from producing excessive waste.
On the other hand, consuming less waste prevents waste from being created in the first place, as it reduces the demand for raw material and ,manufacturing it reduces energy consumption, manufacturing of product and transportation of raw materials. It encourage people to buy durable goods, instead of luxury goods which also saves up on over consumption. Therefore in my opinion consuming less is more effective.
In my opinion, although recycling is effective as it helps in consuming less energy, decreasing the consumption of products helps in saving energy and raw materials and since some energy is still used by recycling products into raw materials, consuming less is more efficient.
In conclusion, we should start consuming less as it helps the environment and uses less energy and need for consumption is less. Hence, we should recycle products too as it does contain benefits but consuming less is the most effective.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses both views and provides a clear personal opinion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat repetitive. For instance, the argument that recycling uses energy is mentioned in both the second and fourth paragraphs. While the position is consistent, the supporting arguments could be more varied and analytical. The essay covers all parts of the prompt, but the depth of discussion regarding 'consuming less' is limited by a lack of concrete examples or broader societal context, which prevents it from reaching a higher band.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'On the other hand', and 'Therefore' are used to link sentences and paragraphs. However, some transitions feel mechanical, and the use of punctuation is occasionally awkward, such as the semicolon usage in 'such as; water bottles' and 'for example; turning'. Referencing is generally clear, but the flow between sentences could be smoother to improve the overall readability.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to express their opinion clearly. There is an attempt to use topic-specific language like 'non-renewable energy', 'raw materials', and 'durable goods'. However, there are instances of imprecise word choice and repetition, such as the frequent use of 'consuming' and 'recycling'. Some collocations are slightly unnatural, such as 'degradation of forests have started to occur' (should be 'has') and 'saves up on over consumption'. A wider range of synonyms would enhance the lexical quality.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'degradation... have started') and article usage. Punctuation errors, such as the misuse of semicolons and unnecessary commas (e.g., 'and ,manufacturing'), occur throughout the text. These errors do not impede communication, but they demonstrate a lack of control over more complex grammatical forms, which limits the score.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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