Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-13

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 5.0)

There is topic about recycling of waste from homes.People claim that not enough of waste from homes is recycled and they belief that the only way to increase recycling is for governments to make it a legal requirement.

I believe that government should take strict actions against this process because if government do not take action as soon as possible then it will be harmfull of all the livingthings. There are some negative impacts of this carelessness such as air pollution. when people will burned the garbages and their other home waste then it will polluted the air.

There are so many ways to recycled household wastes like less use of plastic bags and bottles, recyle more plastic rather than throwing it outside, keep separate waste, reuse paper, reuse glass jars, donate old goods,reuse shopping bags, recycle metal cans and dispose of electronic watse safely. Government should apply strict rules about recycling of house waste materials, there should be a waste management department from government who could take action against the people who do not follow the rules and regulations.

The reason behind my opnion is i believe that the air we inhaled should be clean and our surrounding should also be neat and clean because i lookafter my hygiene. in my area people use to throw their household wastes at the backsides of their homes and after sometime they burned all that waste which include plastic ,glass, paper and many other things. They were used to do this activity then a committee from government refuse to do all this stuff and apply strict rules and regulation.Because air pollution creates many kind of disorders like cough which is injurious for health.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion4.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.0

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

Your position is clear: you support government rules, and you give relevant reasons, including the risk of pollution from burning household waste. The example from your area also helps connect the argument to real experience. However, the response addresses the question only partially because it does not explain in much depth why laws are necessary or whether other measures, such as education or convenient recycling services, could also increase recycling. The list of recycling actions is relevant but is not developed into an argument. To strengthen the response, explain how enforcement would change behaviour and support this with a specific example, then clarify whether you believe laws are essential or simply one useful measure.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.5

There is some organisation: the response moves from your position to possible recycling actions and then to a personal example. However, the progression between these points is not consistently clear. The long list beginning “There are so many ways” interrupts the argument about why laws are needed, and the final paragraph combines personal hygiene, local behaviour, government action and health effects without clearly showing how each point connects. Linking words such as “because” and “then” are used, but relationships between ideas can be repetitive or unclear. Use separate paragraphs for your position, supporting reasons and example, and make each paragraph develop one main point with clear references and transitions.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “household wastes,” “air pollution,” “waste management department” and “recycling,” so the reader can follow the general subject. However, the range is limited and some word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which makes parts of the response less natural—for example, “strict actions,” “recycled household wastes” and “dispose of electronic watse safely.” Spelling errors such as “belief,” “harmfull,” “recyle” and “opnion” are noticeable and reduce precision. Aim to use a smaller number of topic-specific expressions accurately, such as “enforce recycling regulations” and “separate household waste,” and check spelling carefully. This would make your argument clearer and more fluent.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple sentences and longer clauses, for example, “I believe that government should take strict actions… because…” and the sentence describing what people did in your area. However, the range is limited, and complex sentences often contain errors that make the reader work to understand them. Examples include “if government do not take action,” “it will be harmfull of all the livingthings,” and “when people will burned the garbages… then it will polluted the air.” These show problems with agreement, articles, verb forms and sentence construction. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, particularly after full stops. Practise accurate conditional forms and past-tense reporting, and divide long sentences into shorter, complete statements.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.