Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-09

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 6.0)

Recycling produced goods has been one of the best countermeasure to tackle global warming and unnecessary waste being accumulated. Majority of people claim that more items used in households can be recycled and that government should mandate a higher percentage of goods to recycled rather than thrown to garbage.

Recycling is a concept that mainly focuses on using items generally after their lifecycle is completed, into another use to save materials and to reduce the wastage of overall goods. This makes sense because humankind has a limit amount of resources though in the current timeline they are vast but a few generations into the future, the waste that we create is the doom of our successors that will be handling the planet.

Some households urge the government to mandate a higher percentage of recycling that everyone does making it a legal requirement. But in my personal opinion I beg to differ from this opinion. In the long history of mankind we have always seen that if we compel or force people to do something even though it is for their own good, it always causes a backlash towards the cause.

I suggest that governments should aggressively campaign and teach their populations on how to recycle the stuff that they do not intend to use. This provides the opportunity for people to make better choices about their usage habits as well. An example to this could be the introduction of bike lanes, promoting alternative sources of transportation leading to decrease in the levels of air pollution.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing the necessity of legal requirements for recycling. However, the development is somewhat limited. While you clearly state your position against mandatory laws, the supporting arguments are brief. For instance, the claim that 'it always causes a backlash' is asserted but not supported with specific evidence or examples related to recycling policies. To improve, you should expand on why education is more effective than legislation, perhaps by contrasting the two approaches with more depth. The conclusion is also quite abrupt and does not fully synthesize the points made, leaving the argument feeling slightly underdeveloped for a higher band score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. There is a progression of ideas from the definition of recycling to your personal stance and alternative suggestions. However, the use of cohesive devices is sometimes mechanical or slightly awkward, such as 'In the long history of mankind we have always seen that...' which feels a bit disconnected from the previous paragraph. Additionally, some transitions between sentences could be smoother to improve the flow of your argument. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate, and the central ideas are easy to follow, but more sophisticated linking words would enhance the cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'countermeasure', 'mandate', and 'lifecycle'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation. For example, 'Recycling produced goods' is not the standard way to refer to waste management, and 'limit amount of resources' should be 'limited amount'. There is also a tendency to use slightly informal or imprecise phrasing, such as 'stuff that they do not intend to use'. To reach a higher band, focus on using more precise academic collocations and ensuring that your vocabulary choices are consistently accurate and appropriate for a formal essay.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

You use a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, which is a positive step. However, there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Examples include 'government should mandate a higher percentage of goods to recycled' (missing 'be'), 'the waste that we create is the doom of our successors that will be handling the planet' (awkward phrasing), and 'An example to this could be' (should be 'An example of this'). While these errors do not prevent communication, they occur frequently enough to limit the score. Focusing on subject-verb agreement and correct preposition usage will help improve your accuracy.

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

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