Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · IELTS Momentum Workout · 2026-10-17

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 6.5)

It is an undeniable fact that environmental concerns are growing in the public, and more people have become inclined to recycling, whereas some people argue that recycling alone, is not enough and that we need to consume less. In this regard, this essay will not only discuss both perspectives but also my own opinion in favour of the former argument in upcoming paragraphs with a relevant conclusion.

To commence with, concern for the environment has increased dramatically in recent areas due to several reasons. The prime one being that technology and social media have become a major catalyst for environmental protection, by making people witness the effects of human exploitation of nature. To explain it, social media campaigns have helped the environment by inciting feelings of guilt in the public, and raising demands for environmental conservation. For example, people tend to get influenced by environmental protests by activists and online sensations or trends, these movements motivate them to start recycling waste products that can be made reusable in industries. Secondly, recycling helps in conserving the ecosystem by reducing plastic pollution, this helps in cleaning up habitats and safeguards aquatic creatures from ingesting microplastics. To elaborate it, recycling also helps the nation's economy by reducing manufacturing stress on heavy industry. As a result, recycling is an exceptionally useful practice, as people tend to reuse items like cups, mugs and cans over a long period, reducing garbage production.

However, Recycling may not be enough to reverse the damage that nature has recieved over centuries of human exploitation, we need some other practices as well, The first and foremost is that we should consume less, and only buy things that are necessary. For an epitome, purchasing useless products and items causes nature harm in the long term, as factories have to keep producing goods to keep supermarkets filled. Apart from this, humans tend to consume and expolit more resources than are needed, thus, harming the planet. To clarify it, resources should be used only when it is essential, for a sustainable future. Nevertheless, my personal stance aligns with the former point of view, that recycling is a good start for environmental conservation, and is incredibly important in conservation, while other beliefs and practices should not be ignored.

In conclusion, although we should consume less natural resources, recycling is also doing a fantastic job in sustainable development and is enough for now.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address both views and state a position: you support recycling as a useful starting point, while acknowledging that people should consume less. Relevant support includes recycling’s potential to reduce plastic pollution and the environmental costs of continued production. However, the two sides are not developed equally. The case for consuming less is asserted through examples such as unnecessary purchases and resource use, but the explanation of how reducing consumption could prevent harm remains general. Your position also becomes less convincing when the conclusion says recycling “is enough for now,” which conflicts with your earlier recognition that consumption must also change. Develop the comparison more fully and keep your opinion consistent throughout.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs for the two perspectives, and a conclusion. Ideas generally progress from public awareness to recycling’s benefits, then to the case for consuming less. Linking expressions such as “To explain it,” “Secondly,” and “However” help signal relationships, and the reader can follow the main argument. At times, though, these devices feel mechanical, and some links do not accurately express the relationship between ideas. For example, “Nevertheless” introduces a return to your own position without clearly resolving the preceding argument. The conclusion also repeats the contrast rather than synthesising it. Use fewer formulaic transitions and make the links between claims and examples more explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.5

You use an adequate range of topic-related vocabulary, including “environmental conservation,” “plastic pollution,” “microplastics,” and “sustainable future.” These choices help communicate the subject and show attempts to use less common language. Some expressions, however, are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “concerns are growing in the public,” “in recent areas,” and “an epitome” where you mean an example. There are also spelling errors in “recieved” and “expolit,” and some repetition of “conservation” and “environment.” These do not prevent understanding, but they limit precision and naturalness. Focus on accurate collocations and choose straightforward wording when a more elaborate phrase is uncertain.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

You attempt a mix of simple and complex structures, including clauses with “whereas,” “as,” and “although,” and most of the argument remains understandable. Some grammatical and punctuation errors persist. For instance, “recycling alone, is not enough” has an unnecessary comma, while “However, Recycling” incorrectly capitalises the word after a comma. The sentence beginning “The prime one being that…” is a fragment, and the long sentence about protests and online trends joins ideas with a comma rather than a full stop or suitable conjunction. There are also awkward constructions such as “helps the nation's economy by reducing manufacturing stress.” Check sentence boundaries, punctuation, and clause structure, while continuing to use complex sentences.

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