Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-15
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)
Recycling is more important in today's time. some people believe that household waste not recycled enough and that the only way to governments should make a law for recycling. In this essay i partly agree with this view because law can encourage people to recycle household waste, with relevant example in forth coming paragraph.
To begin with, it is legal requirement can increase the amount of waste recycling. Firstly, many people do not recycle because they are careless and not consider their own responsibility. If governments apply the law and penalties for people who do not recycle the waste, then more citizens should follow the rules. For instance, households could be required to separate plastic, paper, glass and food waste into different bins. As a result, easy to recycle the materials. Secondly, the governments regulation is change the way of peoples behavior such as discipline and improve good habits for recycling.
However, there is law only not enough for this solution. Firstly, Governments should also educate people about the environmental benefits of recycling and provide suitable facilities. if recycling products are not available easily may find difficulty to follow this law. For instance, if local authorities provide separate recycling bins in residential areas and regularly collect recyclable waste, people are more likely to develop good recycling habits. In this way, education and convenient services can support government laws.
To sum up, I believe that laws are needed to make people recycle more of their household waste, especially because they can encourage people to change their behavior. Thus, people must be follow this law with discipline.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses all parts of the prompt, presenting a clear position that laws are necessary but insufficient on their own. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of penalties and the need for infrastructure like recycling bins. However, the development is somewhat limited. While the essay touches on the importance of education and convenience, these points could be expanded with more specific examples or deeper analysis to reach a higher band. The structure is logical, and the position is maintained throughout the essay, meeting the requirements for a Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organized into clear paragraphs, each with a central theme. There is a logical progression of ideas from the introduction to the conclusion. Cohesive devices are used, such as 'To begin with', 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'However', though some transitions feel a bit mechanical. Referencing is generally clear, although there are minor issues with sentence-level flow, such as the phrase 'with relevant example in forth coming paragraph' which is slightly awkward. Overall, the text is coherent and easy to follow, fitting the Band 6.0 criteria.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is adequate for the task, allowing the student to express their ideas clearly. There are attempts to use topic-specific vocabulary like 'household waste', 'local authorities', and 'environmental benefits'. However, the range is somewhat limited, and there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'governments regulation is change the way of peoples behavior' and 'if recycling products are not available easily'. These errors do not impede communication, but they prevent the essay from reaching a higher band. More precise vocabulary would improve the quality.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with verb forms and articles, such as 'it is legal requirement can increase' and 'people must be follow this law'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, with some missing commas and capitalization errors. While the student attempts complex sentences, these often contain errors that slightly distract the reader. The control of grammar is sufficient for a Band 5.5 or 6.0, but the frequency of errors keeps it at the lower end of the range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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