Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-04
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)
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. I agree with this opinion because laws can encourage people for recycling, although, education is also important.
To commence with, legally rules can make people more serious about recycling. Many people do not recycle because they find it boring and it takes a lot of time. If governments take stern action regarding recycle is more efficient such as take fine when people are not recycling their home waste. For example, in many countries people separate their waste; paper, glass and canes if they do not follow this rule they have to pay penalty for it. As a result, recycling rate have increased significantly.
Secondly, make strict rules against recycling is reduce pollution and make environment more green. Moreover, Recycling is important for protect environment as such without recycling waste it spread diseases like typhoid and asthama. For example, people do not understand the requirement for recycling. Hence, recycling is more important for protect the people from disease.
In my view, education is more important for recycling such as in schools, advertisement on TV and also take help from social media. Government should also work on it by creating posters and also arrange campaigns regarding this problem.
In conclusion, both people and governments responsibility to work on it and reduce negative effect of it. Hence, laws plays a great in recycling.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the role of legislation in recycling. You clearly state your position in the introduction, which is maintained throughout. However, the development of ideas is somewhat uneven. While the first body paragraph provides a clear argument regarding legal enforcement, the second paragraph is less focused, conflating the benefits of recycling with the need for laws. The final paragraph introduces education as a separate point, which slightly dilutes the focus on the extent to which laws are needed. To improve, ensure each paragraph directly supports your central thesis and provides more detailed, logical explanations for your claims.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, and there is a clear progression of ideas. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To commence with', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion' to signal the structure. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly inaccurate, such as 'Hence, laws plays a great in recycling', which is grammatically incomplete and awkward. Referencing is generally clear, but the transition between the benefits of recycling and the necessity of laws in the second paragraph could be smoother. Improving the variety and accuracy of linking words will help the flow of your writing.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is adequate for the task but lacks the precision and range required for a higher band. You use some relevant topic-specific vocabulary like 'recycling rate', 'penalty', and 'pollution'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice or incorrect collocations, such as 'legally rules' instead of 'legal requirements' or 'make environment more green' instead of 'protect the environment'. Additionally, there are minor errors in word formation, such as 'canes' instead of 'cans'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more sophisticated collocations and ensuring words are used in their correct grammatical form.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While you attempt complex sentences, they often contain errors that affect clarity, such as 'If governments take stern action regarding recycle is more efficient such as take fine'. There are frequent errors in subject-verb agreement ('recycling rate have increased', 'laws plays a great') and preposition usage. Punctuation is generally functional, but there are issues with sentence boundaries and missing articles. To improve, focus on mastering basic subject-verb agreement and ensuring that complex sentences are constructed with accurate subordinate clauses.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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