Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-07

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)

Concern for the environment is increasing, and more people are choosing to recycle their waste. However, some people believe that recycling alone is not enough and that we should reduce our consumption. I am completely agree with this opinion consuming less can reduce waste and protect our natural resources.

In the beginning , recycling is the effective way to protect the environment. It allows materials such as plastic , paper and glass to be used again instead of being send to landfills. Moreover, recycling can reduce the amount of waste produced by households and businesses. For example, recycled paper can be used to make new products. Thus, recycling can play an important role in reducing environmental damage.

Explaining another supporting point in favour of this statement, I believe that reducing consumption is even more important. If people continue to buy unnecessary products, there will always be a large amount of waste , even some of it is recycled . For instance , buying fewer clothes and electronic items can reduce waste as well as the resources needed to produce them . As a result , people should focus on buying only what they genuinely need and using products for longer.

In conclusion, recycling is the useful way to manage waste, I firmly agree that it is not enough on its own. Hence , reducing unnecessary consumption is a more effective approach to protecting the environment and preserving natural resources for the future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses both parts of the prompt: the role of recycling and the necessity of reducing consumption. Your position is clear from the introduction and maintained throughout. However, the essay falls short of the 250-word minimum requirement, which negatively impacts the development of your ideas. While the arguments are relevant, they could be expanded with more specific examples or deeper analysis to fully meet the requirements of the task. Because the response is under the word count, it is penalized under Task Achievement as the development of ideas is necessarily limited by the brevity of the text.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central topic. You use some cohesive devices such as 'Moreover', 'For instance', and 'In conclusion' to link ideas. However, the flow is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel slightly abrupt. The use of referencing is generally clear, but the logical progression could be smoother if you used a wider variety of linking words to connect the relationship between recycling and consumption more fluidly. Overall, the structure is logical and easy to follow, which is a strength.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'natural resources', 'landfills', and 'genuinely'. There are some minor errors in word choice, such as 'I am completely agree' (should be 'I completely agree') and 'recycling is the useful way' (should be 'a useful way'). While you attempt to use some topic-specific vocabulary, the range is somewhat limited and lacks the sophistication required for higher bands. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'instead of being send' (should be 'sent') and 'even some of it is recycled' (should be 'even if some of it is recycled'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, with unnecessary spaces before commas. While these errors do not significantly impede communication, they occur frequently enough to prevent a higher score. You should focus on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of passive voice constructions to improve your accuracy.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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