Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-06

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Some people claim that not enough of the waste from homes is recycled. They say that the only way to increase recycling is for governments to make it a legal requirement.

To what extent do you think laws are needed to make people recycle more of their waste?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

According to some people, the only method to increase recycling is for governments to make it a legal obligation. And they claim that not enough of the waste from homes is recycled. I think laws are required to make people recycle more of their trash. However, this is not the best strategy to deal with this problem. Waste recycling can be increased by a lot of other ways.

For example, majority of the people have no awareness of recyclying waste. They do not know the importance of recycling. So, they do not contribute to this cause. A way to address this issue is by mass awareness-compaigns on media in which people are acknowledged about the importance of waste recycling.

Secondly, there could be a social ranking system in which people are rewarded against the amount of waste they recycle from homes. It is similar to the concept of getting some cents for recycling plastic water bottles. For example, people who recycle an `X` kgs of waste from home will get subsidy in electricity bill. This could be a better way to encourge public for waste recycling than to impose heavy taxes on law voilations.

Thirdly, there should be unified color codes for specific bins for recyclying. For example, blue for organic waste or red for plastic waste. This will make the process of recycling easier for people to adopt.

In conclusion, recycling can be increased by other means like awareness of the public, social encouragement, universal color scheme. So, making a legal requirement is not the only way to increase recycling.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you believe laws are needed, but are not the only way to increase recycling. You address the question with relevant alternatives—public-awareness campaigns, rewards, and clearer bin colours—and the bottle-deposit example helps illustrate incentives. However, the discussion focuses mainly on alternatives and gives little explanation of when or why legal requirements are needed, so this part of the task is less fully addressed. Some proposals, such as the colour scheme, are also briefly stated rather than developed. The response is 239 words, 11 words below the 250-word minimum; the 22 words copied from the task prompt are not counted. Develop the legal side and explain the likely effects of each proposal in more detail.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction, three body paragraphs presenting separate suggestions, and a conclusion that restates your position. Sequencing phrases such as “For example,” “Secondly,” and “Thirdly” help readers follow the points. However, the progression is somewhat mechanical, and some links between ideas are abrupt. For instance, the first body paragraph moves from lack of awareness to campaigns without explaining how these would change household behaviour. The opening “And they claim” also creates an awkward connection to the preceding sentence. Use a wider range of natural transitions and make the relationship between each problem, proposed solution, and expected result explicit. This would make the argument flow more smoothly.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

You use an adequate range of topic vocabulary, including “legal obligation,” “mass awareness campaigns,” “social ranking system,” “subsidy,” and “universal color scheme.” These choices make your main ideas clear, and the examples are generally easy to understand. However, some word choices and collocations are inaccurate or unnatural, such as “people are acknowledged about” and “encourge public for waste recycling.” There are also spelling errors, including “recyclying,” “compaigns,” and “voilations.” These do not prevent understanding, but they reduce precision and control. Check spelling carefully and learn common collocations for discussing public policy and incentives; more natural phrasing would help you express your ideas with greater flexibility.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and more complex forms, including the relative clause in “people who recycle” and the purpose clause “in which people are acknowledged about the importance.” Most sentences communicate their meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. For example, “majority of the people” needs a determiner (“the majority”), and “people who recycle an X kgs” has a number-agreement problem. The sentence beginning “And they claim” is also an awkward sentence connection. Some sentence patterns are repetitive, particularly the repeated use of “There should/could be.” Practise accurate articles, singular and plural forms, and linking clauses; then vary sentence structures while keeping them controlled.

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

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