Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-05

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)

A group of people state that the only way to promote recycling is that the government should make laws on this regard. Well I am partially agree with this claim.

Recycling the waste is very necessary for our environment as it could decrease pollution and global warming. Unfortunately people don't do correspondingly. So, government should take action because we know that it had always huge impact on public. For example when government took initiative on traffic laws people had to obey them moreover when it took steps on drugs citizens followed its instructions.

However I would not say that we should only rely on laws but we should raise awareness ourselves. As a responsible citizen we should run campaigns and inform the public about the pros of recycling wastes of their homes. As we we did it in twentieth century on very crucial issues such as racism. And with the awareness we solved a huge problem of our society.

Nonetheless some people think that if we would depend on government and want it to take strict actions in every piece of thing then we might have to face dictatorship in the future. And consequently it would cause frustration ,anxiety and fear in people that would affect their intellect.

In conclusion I would rather say that we should handle this issue by hybrid approach. Government should make laws on this regard however public should also run campaigns so that these laws are empowered by citizens. And this is the true face of democracy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the role of government legislation versus public awareness. You clearly state a position of a 'hybrid approach' in the conclusion. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited. While you provide examples like traffic laws and anti-drug initiatives, the connection to recycling is not fully explored or explained in depth. The argument regarding the risk of 'dictatorship' is a bit tangential and lacks a strong logical link to the specific context of recycling waste. To improve, ensure each body paragraph provides a more detailed explanation of how your proposed solutions would function in practice.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use some cohesive devices such as 'However', 'Nonetheless', and 'In conclusion' to signal shifts in your argument. However, the flow between sentences is occasionally mechanical, and some transitions feel abrupt. For instance, the transition between the discussion of government laws and the shift to public awareness could be smoother. Additionally, there are minor issues with referencing and punctuation that slightly affect the flow of ideas. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring they are used naturally would help elevate the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

Your vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to express your ideas clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'global warming', 'pollution', and 'campaigns'. However, there is a reliance on basic vocabulary, and some word choices are slightly unnatural, such as 'in every piece of thing' or 'make laws on this regard'. To reach a higher band, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and avoid repetitive phrasing. Expanding your range to include more sophisticated synonyms for common words will help demonstrate a better command of the language.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

You demonstrate a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, such as 'I am partially agree' (should be 'I partially agree'), 'we we did it' (repetition), and 'if we would depend' (incorrect conditional structure). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with comma placement. While these errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your message, they occur frequently enough to impact the overall accuracy. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and the correct use of conditional tenses will significantly improve your grammatical control.

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