Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-02

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 5.0)

The increasing number of population has increased the concern for environment. Some people believes that recycling will be the best way to tackle this problem while, others argue that recycling is not enough.

The increasing population demands growing resources such as water, food, clothes, and house to live. If the government is unable to handle this problem, it could lead to significant social and economic disorder. And recycling is one of the most effective way to address this issue. Governments can promote recycling by providing separate collection bins and educating the public about waste sorting.

Some people argue that there should be a proper usage of resources available. For example, resources should be used wisely, which can be achieved by reducing the consumption, reusing items, and recycling waste. It could be done by public awareness and education such as teaching children to save water by turning off the tap while soaping the hands, and not to litter in the streets.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.0

The response sits at a lower band because it only minimally addresses the prompt. Crucially, the writing falls significantly short of the 250-word minimum, containing only 160 words. Regarding content, the essay attempts to discuss recycling and consuming less, but the position is not always clear, and the ideas are limited and under-developed. For example, the writer mentions that population growth demands resources like 'water, food, clothes, and house to live,' but this point is not fully expanded to discuss the broader debate about consumption versus recycling. To move to a higher band, the essay must meet the word count requirement and present fully developed arguments addressing both views with a clear, consistent personal opinion throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

There is some organisation evident in the essay, as the writer attempts to introduce the topic and split points into paragraphs, but there is no clear overall progression of ideas. Cohesive devices are used in a basic or repetitive manner, such as starting multiple sentences with 'The increasing...' or 'Some people...'. Paragraphing is attempted, but the internal logical flow between sentences is occasionally disjointed, such as the abrupt transition between government recycling policies and the discussion on proper resource usage in the final paragraph. To achieve a higher band, the writer needs to ensure a smoother logical progression from one paragraph to the next and use a wider variety of cohesive devices more naturally.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The vocabulary used is limited but minimally adequate to convey the basic message, featuring common phrases such as 'tackle this problem' and 'public awareness and education'. However, there are noticeable lexical errors and awkward collocations that reflect a restricted range. For instance, the phrase 'house to live' is unnatural, and 'proper usage of resources available' lacks precision. There are also occasional word form and choice inaccuracies, such as 'Some people believes' (though agreement is grammatical, the choice of verb form ties into word handling). To progress to a higher band, the writer should incorporate a wider, more flexible range of vocabulary, including less common lexical items and precise collocations related to environmental issues.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The essay displays a limited range of grammatical structures, relying mostly on simple sentences alongside a few basic complex attempts. There are frequent errors in grammar that can cause some difficulty for the reader, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('Some people believes'), missing articles ('concern for environment', 'house to live'), and awkward prepositional or phrasal patterns ('while soaping the hands'). Punctuation is also occasionally problematic, particularly with comma placement in complex structures. To reach a higher band, the writer must demonstrate better control over a wider variety of sentence patterns and significantly reduce the frequency of basic grammatical errors.

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

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