Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-09-19

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)

Environmental awareness has increased dramatically in recent years, leading many people to adopt recycling as a daily habit. However, a growing number of critics. While opinions remain divided, I firmly contend that recycling alone cannot solve our environmental problems and that a reduction in consumption in essential. I will discuss both perspectives before giving my own view. The foremost justification lies in the fact that supporters of recyling believe it is practical and effective way to protect the environment. Moreover, recycling reduces the amount of waste send to landfills, saves natural resources, and requires less energy and producing new materials. This, in turn, gives rise to recycling aluminium cans saves up to 95% of the energy needed to make new aluminium from raw ore. Furthrtmore, it is easy for ordinary people to do and encourages a sense of environmental responsibility without requiring a major change of lifestyle. For many, this makes recycling an accessible first step towards sustainability. Beyond this, it is important to recognize thatrecycling is insufficient because it does not address the root cause of the problem: overconsumption. They point out that the recycling process itself consume energy and water, and many materials, like plastic, can only be recycled a limit number of times before they become waste. From this prespective, the only real solution is to consume less in the first place. For instance, instead of buying bottled water and then recycling the bottle, it is far better to use a reusable bottle and avoid create waste at all. This view emphasizes prevention over cure. For this reasons, I remain firmly convinced that it is not enough on its own. More importantly, recycling is a positive step,but it has its limitations. True environmental protection requires a fundamental shift towards consuming less and living more sustainably.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The student addresses all parts of the task by discussing both views—the benefits of recycling and the argument for consuming less—while clearly stating a personal opinion. The position is maintained throughout the essay. Ideas are generally extended and supported, such as when the student mentions that recycling aluminium cans saves up to 95% of energy, and provides the example of using reusable bottles instead of buying bottled water. However, there is a minor mechanical disruption in the second sentence ('However, a growing number of critics.' is incomplete), which slightly impacts full development. Overall, the response fulfils the requirements of Band 7 by addressing all parts with a clear position and supporting details, though some points in the introduction require more seamless integration.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay displays a clear overall progression with logical organisation. The writer uses standard transitional phrases such as 'Moreover', 'Furthermore', and 'Beyond this' to guide the reader through the arguments. Paragraphing is employed to separate the introduction, body paragraphs covering both views, and the conclusion, although the body paragraph is somewhat dense and could have been broken into two distinct paragraphs for the two opposing views. Cohesive devices are generally used effectively, but occasional referencing issues, such as the pronoun 'They' in 'They point out that the recycling process itself consume energy', lack a precise immediate antecedent, resulting in a minor lapse in cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate and generally appropriate range of vocabulary for the task, successfully using topic-specific terms such as 'environmental awareness', 'overconsumption', 'natural resources', and 'sustainability'. There are attempts to use less common vocabulary items, but these are occasionally marred by word-form and spelling errors, such as 'recyling' instead of recycling, 'Furthrtmore', 'prespective', and collocation slips like 'limit number of times' instead of limited number of times. Nevertheless, the lexical range is sufficient to convey the intended meaning clearly, and communication is never impeded by these occasional errors.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay features a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating attempts at varied structures such as 'instead of buying bottled water and then recycling the bottle, it is far better to use a reusable bottle'. However, the text contains several grammatical and mechanical inaccuracies, including sentence fragment issues in the opening, and subject-verb or prepositional errors such as 'amount of waste send to landfills' (sent), 'energy and producing new materials' (and producing), and 'consume energy and water' (consumes). Punctuation and spacing issues are also present, such as 'recognize thatrecycling' and 'step,but'. Despite these errors, the majority of simple sentences are clear, and complex structures do not impede general communication.

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