Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-08-31
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 6.0)
In currently day, many people choose to recycling.While recycling plays a vital role in waste management, reducing our overall consumption is a more fundamental and effective solution to modern environmental crises. Both approaches are valuable, but a true shift toward sustainability requires addressing the root cause of resource depletion rather than just managing the aftermath.
Commencing with, recycling provides undeniable ecological benefits. It diverts immense volumes of waste from landfills, reducing soil contamination and the release of greenhouse gases like methane. Furthermore, processing recycled materials generally requires significantly less energy than manufacturing products from raw materials. For instance, recycling aluminum saves up to 95% of the energy needed to create new aluminum from bauxite ore. By keeping materials within the production cycle, recycling helps conserve dwindling natural resources and mitigates immediate industrial damage.
On the other hand, relying solely on recycling is insufficient because it treats the symptoms of environmental degradation rather than the cause. The recycling process itself demands substantial energy, transport infrastructure, and chemical treatments, all of which carry a carbon footprint. Moreover, many materials, particularly plastics, degrade in quality each time they are recycled, meaning they eventually end up as waste regardless. By contrast, reducing consumption directly cuts the demand for raw resource extraction, manufacturing, and distribution. If individuals consciously buy fewer single-use items and prioritize durability over convenience, the global volume of waste and industrial pollution drops dramatically.
In my opinion I firmly believe that minimize the Overall consumption must be primary goal. While recycling should serve as a secondary line of defense to. Manage to the waste material and recycling.
To conclude. although recycling is most important in mechanism for handling consumer waste material many people are choosing recycled wasted items and concerns environment is upper down to individuals selected to recycling. It cannot offset tha damage caused unhygienic by unchecked consumerism
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses both sides of the argument and provides a clear personal opinion. The ideas are relevant and well-supported, particularly the comparison between recycling and reducing consumption. However, the conclusion is somewhat disjointed and contains confusing phrasing, such as 'upper down to individuals selected to recycling', which obscures the final summary of your position. While the main body paragraphs are strong and well-developed, the final paragraph lacks the clarity required for a higher band score. To improve, ensure that your conclusion clearly synthesizes your main points without introducing new, unclear phrasing.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use cohesive devices such as 'Furthermore', 'On the other hand', and 'By contrast' effectively to link arguments. However, there are instances where cohesion is mechanical or slightly awkward, particularly in the final paragraph where the transition to the conclusion is abrupt and the sentences lack logical flow. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the concluding sentences suffer from a lack of coherence, making the final message difficult to follow.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
You demonstrate a good range of vocabulary, using terms like 'resource depletion', 'ecological benefits', and 'industrial damage' appropriately. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, which is positive. However, there are several instances of word-choice errors and awkward collocations, such as 'In currently day' instead of 'Nowadays' or 'In the current day', and 'minimize the Overall consumption' where 'minimizing' would be grammatically correct. These errors do not impede communication, but they do prevent the response from reaching a higher band.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While many sentences are accurate, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, particularly in the introduction and conclusion. Examples include 'choose to recycling' (should be 'choose to recycle'), 'Commencing with' (an unnatural opening phrase), and 'Manage to the waste material'. The final paragraph contains significant grammatical instability, which affects the overall readability. To improve, focus on subject-verb agreement and ensuring that verb forms following 'to' or 'believe' are correct.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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