Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · 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 6.5)

In today's rapidly developing era, waste management has become a significant problem. The most important form of waste management is recycling, where some people claim that not enough waste from homes is recycled. The group of people argue that the only way to increase recycling is, that it should be made a legal requirement. I agree with the argument to a larger extent that laws are needed to make people recycle more of their waste, given the fact that laws stand people accountable for their actions. Enacting laws will encourage more people to participate in the recycling process.

Rapid development produces a large amount of waste as a by-product, that has given rise to the problem of waste management. Recycling is the best method to tackle the problem of waste management. Through series of efforts and awareness campaigns, multiple governments around the globe have encouraged the citizens to participate in domestic waste recycling. The citizens can do so by segregating their waste into different classification such as dry, wet and electronic waste. Thus, a prior sorting before waste disposal is required to be done by the people. For example, government municipalities have also setup labeled trash cans near every dumping spots in societies, where people can segregate and dump waste accordingly.

However, some people claim that not enough waste is recycled from the homes. The main reason of this could be lack of accountability of the people. That leads the people into not taking the recycling process seriously. Thus, laws should be created to force people to participate in the recycling process and penalty should be charged if they fail to do so. Thus, by making people accountable for their actions and reforming recycling as a mandatory duty, recycling can be increased.

In conclusion, recycling is really important for waste management and currently it is not being taken seriously by a large number of people. Consequently, I strongly agree that enacting laws to encourage and force people towards recycling their domestic waste can make a significant difference.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt and maintains a clear position throughout. You have successfully argued for the necessity of legal requirements to improve recycling rates. The ideas are relevant and generally well-supported, particularly the point regarding accountability. However, the development could be more sophisticated; for instance, the discussion on how laws would be enforced beyond simple penalties could be expanded to reach a higher band. The introduction clearly states your stance, and the conclusion reinforces it effectively. Overall, the response is well-focused on the task requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear progression of ideas. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate the introduction, body, and conclusion. You use cohesive devices such as 'Thus', 'However', and 'For example' to link sentences and ideas. While the flow is generally smooth, some transitions feel slightly mechanical or repetitive, particularly the frequent use of 'Thus' at the start of sentences. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring that referencing is more precise would help elevate the coherence of the essay to a higher level.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'segregating', 'by-product', and 'accountability'. There are some minor inaccuracies in word choice, such as 'reforming recycling as a mandatory duty' (where 'establishing' or 'designating' might be more precise) and 'classification' (which should be pluralized). While you attempt to use less common vocabulary, the control is not always consistent. To reach a higher band, focus on more precise collocations and ensure that word forms are used correctly in context.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is always clear, there are several grammatical slips, such as 'The group of people argue' (should be 'This group of people argues') and 'through series of efforts' (missing an article: 'through a series of efforts'). Punctuation is generally functional, though some comma usage is slightly awkward, such as in 'recycling is, that it should be'. The majority of sentences are error-free, but the frequency of minor errors prevents a higher score. Increasing the variety of complex structures while maintaining accuracy will improve this score.

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