Band 7.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 7.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-07-29

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 7.0)

There has been an ongoing debate about whether the government should make laws regarding the recycling of waste. Although some individuals argue that most of the garbage is not recycled, I am strongly of the opinion that it would be an overwhelmingly positive step. This essay will explain why I hold this view.

The first and perhaps the most sigificant reason is that recycling is beneficial from all aspects, most importantly to control pollution. In other words, it would also be helpful in economic growth by reducing the excessive use of new materials which require a lot of budget. This means that a legal requirement has become necessary to overcome these issues. A clear illustration of this is that Estonia is considered one of the cleanest country across the globe resultantly tourism is at peak there which ultimately helpful in their economic growth. Therefore, it is evident that laws drives people to conciousness and develops a sense of responsibility among them.

Equally important is the fact that an eco-friendly environment will provide life of quality. Furthermore, a clean and clear environment ensure healthy life which consequently leads to healthy minds. Owing to this, individuals can perform their duties more efficiently.

Admittedly, creating new laws can be very challenging to the government because new force will have to be needed to enforce these laws and recycling centres will have to be installed which require a lot of budget. However, potential drawbacks are manageable and do not overshadow the substantial benefits.

To conclude, despite the financial challenges associated with introducing the laws regarding recycling, I firmly believe that advantages considerably outweigh the disadvantages. Considering the long-term benefits, this is undoubtedly the most practical and sustainable approach.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response7.0
Coherence and Cohesion7.5
Lexical Resource6.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.5
Overall7.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the task and maintains a clear position throughout. You have presented relevant arguments regarding the necessity of legal requirements for recycling. However, the development of these ideas is somewhat limited. For instance, the example of Estonia is a bit vague and could have been better linked to how specific recycling laws—rather than general cleanliness—drove that success. To reach a higher band, ensure that your supporting examples are more directly connected to the specific prompt of 'legal requirements' and provide more depth in your analysis of the counter-arguments.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 7.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You use a range of cohesive devices such as 'In other words', 'Furthermore', and 'Admittedly' to guide the reader. However, some transitions feel slightly mechanical, and the flow between sentences could be smoother. For example, the transition from the economic benefits of recycling to the 'quality of life' argument in the third paragraph is a bit abrupt. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that each paragraph has a clear, singular focus will enhance the overall coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'overwhelmingly positive', 'sustainable approach', and 'substantial benefits'. There are some minor issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'cleanest country across the globe resultantly tourism is at peak' (which is grammatically awkward) and 'new force will have to be needed'. While these errors do not impede communication, they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. To improve, focus on using more precise collocations and ensuring that your vocabulary choices are consistently natural and accurate in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.5

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is appropriate for this level. However, there are several grammatical errors throughout the text, such as subject-verb agreement issues ('laws drives people') and awkward phrasing ('provide life of quality'). Punctuation is generally functional, but there are instances where sentence structure becomes slightly convoluted, affecting clarity. To improve, focus on proofreading for basic agreement errors and try to incorporate more varied complex sentence structures, such as conditional clauses or relative clauses, while ensuring they remain error-free.

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