Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-17

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)

In my opinion, strong legislative reforms are required in order to encourage a higher amount of recycling. In addition to legislative reforms, the government should follow through with strong enforcement mechanisms as well. The current state of the world's environment is such that recycling is the need of the hour. Making recycling a legal requirement would enable us to protect the environment and conserve nature. People usually tend to overlook the importance of recycling in the midst of their busy schedules. In fact, people fail to be mindful of segregation of waste as well. If governments were to mandate recycling, people would be incentivised to contribute to a healthier and cleaner planet. Some people undertake recycling in their own peculiar ways such as by doing best out of waste crafts and by up-cycling the things that they already own. This helps to prevent clothes and other things from ending up in landfills while also being efficient about spending habits. However, this initiative is limited only to a select amount of people. If the government mandated recycling and tied it to specific monetary or societal incentives, people would be motivated to recycle more often. In my own experience, I have noticed that up-cycling clothes and shopping from thrift stores helps to contribute to the cause while being financially efficient as well. Hence, I strongly believe that if the government were to enact a law to mandate recycling, it would help increase awareness as well as encourage people to recycle more of their waste.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position in favor of legislative reform. However, the development is somewhat limited. While you mention that laws would incentivize recycling, the argument remains at a general level. To reach a higher band, you should provide more specific examples of how such laws might function (e.g., fines, tax breaks, or mandatory collection systems) and explain the potential counter-arguments or limitations of such legislation. The current response relies heavily on personal opinion rather than a balanced exploration of the extent to which laws are necessary, which restricts the depth of the analysis.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into a single block of text, which significantly impacts the coherence. IELTS Task 2 responses should be structured into clear paragraphs (introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion) to guide the reader through your argument. While you use some cohesive devices like 'In addition to', 'However', and 'Hence', the lack of paragraphing makes the progression of ideas feel dense and less logical. To improve, ensure each main idea is developed in its own paragraph, and use a wider variety of linking words to connect sentences and ideas more fluidly.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary, such as 'legislative reforms', 'enforcement mechanisms', and 'incentivised'. These are appropriate for the topic. However, there are some instances of slightly unnatural phrasing, such as 'doing best out of waste crafts' and 'select amount of people' (which should be 'a select number of people'). To improve, focus on more precise collocations and ensure that your word choices are consistently natural. The vocabulary is sufficient to communicate your ideas clearly, but it lacks the sophistication and precision required for higher bands.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, such as the conditional 'If governments were to mandate... people would be incentivised'. While these structures are generally accurate, there are some minor errors and stylistic choices that could be refined. For example, 'the need of the hour' is a cliché that is better avoided in formal academic writing. Punctuation is generally correct, and the grammar does not impede communication. To move higher, try to incorporate a wider variety of complex grammatical forms, such as passive voice or relative clauses, with greater consistency.

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

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