Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-14

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)

The environmental problems are growing at a very fast rate so many people are choosing to recycle more and more products while others believe that consuming less amount of material is the more effective then recycling.

Although, recycling is an effective solution.FIrstly,it reduces the material and allow the products to be reused . Recycling products reduces the amount of rubbish sent to landfills. Secondly,huge amount of energy will be saved and will again used to produce goods from raw material.For example recycling plastic bottles and aluminum reduces the need to produce new materials and also lowers the amount of waste entering the environment.

On the otherhand, consuming less is more crucial because recycling cannot solve environmental issues caused by the excessive consumption.Producing new products will requires large amount of energy, water and raw material and secondly recycleable products also creates pollution during their manufacturing and transporting.Less consumption prevents the waste before it is created.For instance, buying fewer clothes reduces the demand for textile production, which use huge amount of energu ,water and also creates pollution.

In my opinion both are necessary but consuming less is more effective than recycling products because it reduces consumption and waste pollution from the begining. Peolpe should follow the 3Rs rule :reduce, reuse and recycle.Governement should encourage sustainable production and individual should purchase necessary products rather then buying unnecessary products.

In conclusion,Recycling help to reduce waste but still contribute to pollution while transportig and manufacturing while, less consumption allows to control waste and pollution from begining and to make environment batter for living.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both the view that recycling is important and the view that we need to consume less, while also providing a clear personal opinion throughout the essay. The student puts forward relevant ideas, such as how recycling reduces waste sent to landfills and saves energy, while consuming less prevents waste creation before it starts. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive in places. For example, the explanation regarding manufacturing pollution is echoed in both body paragraphs. Despite these minor limitations, the main task requirements are met effectively, and the position is clearly maintained. This aligns well with the criteria for Band 6.0, as all parts of the task are addressed and a clear stance is presented, even though some ideas remain slightly under-developed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay displays a coherent overall arrangement with a clear paragraph structure, dedicating distinct paragraphs to the introduction, recycling, consuming less, the writer's opinion, and a conclusion. Cohesive devices are used to signal transitions, such as 'Although', 'Firstly', 'On the otherhand', and 'In conclusion'. However, referencing and punctuation issues are noticeable, such as spacing errors around commas and periods (e.g., 'FIrstly,it', 'transportig and manufacturing while, less'). Furthermore, transitional links can feel slightly mechanical rather than entirely natural. Progression is generally logical, leading the reader clearly through the two perspectives and the writer's stance. These features fit comfortably into Band 6.0, where information is arranged coherently with clear overall progression, despite some faulty or mechanical cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully incorporating topic-specific terms such as 'landfills', 'raw material', 'textile production', and 'sustainable production'. There are, however, several lexical errors and awkward collocations throughout the text, such as 'consuming less amount of material', 'recycleable products', 'waste pollution', and spelling errors like 'transportig' and 'batter'. While these errors do not impede communication and the writer successfully attempts less common vocabulary, the repetition of basic words prevents the score from reaching a higher band. The lexical resource demonstrated reflects Band 6.0, as the vocabulary is adequate to convey the message despite inaccuracies in word choice and spelling.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at subordination and relative clauses, such as 'Although, recycling is an effective solution' and 'buying fewer clothes reduces the demand for textile production, which use huge amount of energu'. Grammatical accuracy is inconsistent, with frequent errors in article usage, pluralisation, verb forms, and prepositions (e.g., 'Producing new products will requires', 'from the begining', 'individual should purchase'). Additionally, punctuation errors like missing spaces after punctuation marks are frequent. Although these errors are noticeable and cause some distraction, they rarely impede overall communication. This performance aligns with Band 5.5 to 6.0; however, because the mix of sentence structures is functional and meaning is generally clear, a band score of 6.0 is appropriate.

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