Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · 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 5.5)

It is undeniable that pollution become a pensive concern in this modern era . i agree to a large extent with this notion due to many reasons which will outline in forthcoming fragments with logical conclusion .

To commence with government legal requirements for recycling . the prime one is that fear of fine because when government make any rule the individuals have to follow the rule stirctly . recentiy government conducted a cervey which tell that people follow rule more seriously .secondly , help to reduce the level of pollution . to elaborate it, by recycling method the pollution on the earth can be drop . moreover , sense of responsibility also play an important role.

However , first and foremost is that public awareness also helps in control the pollution . to justify it , when citizens are aware then there will be no need to make any rule.

To conclude although there are several benefits in favour of laws of government such as fear of fine , reduce level of pollution , sense of responsibility . yet other factors cannot be ignore.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.5
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.5
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 185 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you present a position, the arguments are underdeveloped and lack sufficient supporting evidence or examples. For instance, the point about 'fear of fine' is mentioned but not explored in depth, and the counter-argument regarding public awareness is too brief to be persuasive. To improve, you must expand each body paragraph with specific examples, explanations, and logical consequences to ensure the topic is fully addressed.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, but the progression of ideas is disjointed. While you use some cohesive devices like 'To commence with' and 'However', they are often used incorrectly or in a mechanical way. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the flow between sentences is frequently interrupted by grammatical errors. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of linking words more naturally and ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence that connects logically to the main argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is limited and sometimes inaccurate, which occasionally causes confusion. For example, 'pollution become a pensive concern' is an incorrect collocation; 'pensive' refers to deep thought, not a serious problem. Similarly, 'forthcoming fragments' is an unnatural way to refer to paragraphs. You rely on basic vocabulary and struggle to use less common items effectively. To improve, focus on learning collocations and topic-specific vocabulary related to the environment and government policy, and ensure you are using words in their correct context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

There are frequent grammatical errors throughout the text, including issues with subject-verb agreement ('pollution become'), article usage, and punctuation. Sentence structures are mostly simple, and attempts at more complex sentences often contain errors, such as 'recentiy government conducted a cervey which tell that people follow rule more seriously'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with spaces before periods and commas. To improve, focus on mastering basic sentence construction, subject-verb agreement, and proofreading for common errors before submitting your work.

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