Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-18

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 is a good way of disposing the household waste. In this fast-paced era, some individuals believe that the waste which is recycled is not in a sufficient proportion that it should be, while others suggest that the central government should implement some legal actions to increase the process of recycling. I completely agree with this statement. This essay will analyse the reasons behind my perspective along with the examples in the subsequent paragraphs.

To commence with, the core reason of making recycling compulsory is that everyone should take responsibility for managing their litter. Many people do not recycle because in this contemporary era, people are busy in their professional and personal lives so they lack time management, rather than recycling the used products they prefer to purchase new ones to save time. However, if higher authorities introduce strict rules and impose fine on the citizens who fail to separate the recyclable trash, they are more likely to follow the regulations and able to recycle their waste. As a result, the amount of garbage which sent to landfills will be decreased significantly.

Another reason why I fully support this idea is that people are unaware about the recycling process. If governments take legal actions for recycling waste then it can create long-term environment benefits.

To

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.0
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource6.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy6.0
Overall6.0

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 250 words, reaching only 215 words. This significantly impacts the development of ideas. While you clearly state your position in the introduction, the body paragraphs are underdeveloped. The second paragraph introduces the idea of government intervention, but the argument remains superficial and lacks specific examples or a deeper exploration of the 'extent' to which laws are needed. The essay ends abruptly, failing to provide a conclusion or a balanced discussion of the topic. To improve, you must expand your arguments with concrete examples and ensure you complete the essay structure.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay shows a basic level of organization with an introduction and body paragraphs. You use some cohesive devices such as 'To commence with' and 'As a result', which help the flow. However, the progression of ideas is interrupted by the premature ending of the text. Paragraphing is present, but the final paragraph is incomplete, which disrupts the overall coherence. To reach a higher band, ensure that each paragraph has a clear topic sentence and that your ideas are linked logically throughout the entire response, leading to a cohesive conclusion.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'contemporary era', 'implement', and 'legal actions'. However, there are some inaccuracies in word choice and collocation, such as 'disposing the household waste' (should be 'disposing of') and 'garbage which sent to landfills' (should be 'which is sent'). The vocabulary is generally functional but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. Focus on learning collocations and using more sophisticated synonyms to express your ideas more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There are several grammatical errors, such as 'everyone should take responsibility for managing their litter' (correct, but followed by 'people are busy in their professional and personal lives so they lack time management'), and 'they are more likely to follow the regulations and able to recycle' (missing 'be'). Punctuation is generally acceptable, but the sentence structure is sometimes repetitive. To improve, focus on ensuring subject-verb agreement and using a wider variety of complex structures with greater accuracy.

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

Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.