Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

Recycling is the crucial for maintaining our ecosystem. It cleans our surrounding area and reduce climate change, and pollution. Many individuals believe that not enough of the waste from homes is recycled and they say that the only way to increase recycling is for authorities to make it a legal requirement. I completely agree that laws are needed to make people recycle more of their waste, although laws alone are not enough.

One of the main reason is that recycling promotes reduce waste. I agree that laws are needed because most people do not recycle on their own. Initially, individuals are lazy and busy. They throw all waste in one dustbin because separating plastic, paper and food waste takes time. If there is a law and fine, they will follow it. For instance, in many urban areas in India, people started separating wet and dry waste only after the municipal cooperation made it compulsary and started giving fines. Subsequently, law makes recycling a habit. When children see their parents separating waste every day because of law, they also learn it.

However, laws alone are not enough. If residents do not understand why recycling is paramount, they will break the law when no one is watching. Therefore, the government should also educate the people. Schools should teach pupils about recycling, and TV and social media show advertisements. Also, the government should give rewards. For example, if a family recycles well, they can get a small discount on their electricity bill or a free dustbin. This will motivate people more than only fear of fine.

In conclusion, I largely agree that laws are needed to make people recycle more, because without laws most people will not change their habits. Nevertheless laws will work best when people understand the reason and get support from the government.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.5

Your position is clear from the introduction: you agree that laws are needed, while recognising that they should be supported by education and incentives. You address both the case for legal requirements and the limits of relying on laws alone. The examples about separating wet and dry waste in India and offering household rewards make the discussion relevant. This meets the task well, but some points are asserted more than explained: for instance, the claim that most people will not recycle without laws would be stronger with a clearer reason or evidence, and the education and reward proposals receive less development than the legal argument. Further explanation of how these measures work together would make the response more fully developed.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The response has a clear overall structure, moving from your position to reasons for laws, then to complementary measures, and finally to a conclusion. Paragraphs have identifiable purposes, and signposts such as “However,” “Therefore,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the argument. The progression is generally logical, though some linking feels mechanical: “Initially” and “Subsequently” announce steps without showing a precise sequence, and “One of the main reason” does not clearly introduce the point that follows. Some connections between claims could also be made more explicit—for example, how teaching children leads to wider household recycling. More varied, precise links and clearer topic sentences would strengthen the flow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant vocabulary for the topic, including “ecosystem,” “separating,” “wet and dry waste,” “paramount,” and “motivate.” This gives you enough range to discuss laws, education, and incentives, and your meaning is generally clear. However, several word-choice, collocation, word-form, and spelling errors make the language less natural: “the crucial” is not the right form, “promotes reduce waste” is awkward, “municipal cooperation” appears to be the wrong term, and “compulsary” is misspelled. “Clean our surrounding area” and “fear of fine” are also imprecise or unnatural expressions. Aim for accurate, natural combinations rather than inserting less common words where a simpler phrase would be clearer.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You use a mix of simple and complex forms, including conditional sentences such as “If there is a law and fine, they will follow it” and a concession in “although laws alone are not enough.” Most sentences communicate the intended meaning, but some grammatical errors remain. Examples include subject–verb agreement in “It cleans … and reduce,” the singular/plural pattern in “One of the main reason,” and article use in “because of law.” The sentence “TV and social media show advertisements” also has an unclear grammatical relationship between its subjects and verb. Review agreement, articles, and sentence construction, and proofread punctuation around introductory transitions. More consistently accurate complex sentences would improve control.

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