Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-08-24

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)

Government laws are essential in dealing with recycling waste from households but it is not the only way to reduce waste. To make people aware of their social responsibility, educating them on segregating waste materials and proper knowledge about strategies of recycling are also very important in order to generate less waste and reuse of materials.

Government in many cases is the sole responsible authority who keeps our localities clean and manage the waste generated from every household. Enacting laws preventing pollution and waste management is important. Otherwise, people won't feel the legal need to properly manage their waste and will start to pollute the environment. Government laws for example, issuing penalties to those who throw their waste here and there, not in a designated area, is helpful from preventing people to make their society filthy. Also by introducing laws to award monetary benefits upon sensible recycling like the one in Germany where you get a token which can be used in the markets to buy things by recycling bottles and other plastic materials, assists government to a greater extend to reduce waste from our societies.

While laws help us to be more aware of our duties, it is without a doubt that educating inhabitants of a society about waste management brings more success than any enforced law. When people learn the benefits of waste management, they become more eager in recycling their waste. To give an illustration about my area which saw a significant change in people's mindset after a successful social campaign about recycling, our members of the society have become more socially aware about waste management. Previously, we used to throw our garbage containing plastics, pieces of glass, empty packets, torn out clothes and food waste into a single garbage bin. However, after the campaign, we learnt the importance of segregation of waste into different categories for recycling. Now, we make separate waste bags for plastic materials, glass pieces, degradable waste in order to properly recycle them instead of just throwing away. It has also become easier for waste collectors to manage waste instead spending their time in separating different waste materials.

As a result, government laws are properly being implemented, our society members are even more aware about waste management and now less people are needed to collect the waste. So, not only legal obligations but also social awareness amongst people is equally mandatory to make people recycle more of their waste.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 7.0

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, clearly stating that while laws are essential, education and social awareness are equally important. The position is consistent throughout. The ideas are well-developed, particularly the example of the German recycling system and the personal anecdote regarding the local campaign. The argument is balanced and relevant, providing a clear rationale for why a combination of legal and social approaches is superior to relying solely on legislation. The response effectively meets the requirements of the task by providing a nuanced perspective supported by concrete examples.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph has a central theme, and the progression of ideas is smooth. Cohesive devices such as 'While laws help us', 'To give an illustration', and 'As a result' are used effectively to link sentences and paragraphs. However, there are minor instances where the flow could be more sophisticated, such as the transition between the discussion of laws and the shift to education. Overall, the paragraphing is appropriate and the structure supports the development of the argument well.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.5

The student demonstrates a sufficient range of vocabulary to discuss the topic with precision. Phrases like 'social responsibility', 'segregating waste materials', and 'monetary benefits' are used correctly. There are some minor inaccuracies in collocation or word choice, such as 'to a greater extend' (should be 'extent') and 'filthy' (which is slightly informal for an academic essay). Despite these minor slips, the vocabulary is varied enough to convey complex ideas clearly and effectively throughout the response.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The student uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. There is good control over grammar, though some non-systematic errors persist, such as 'Government in many cases is the sole responsible authority who keeps our localities clean and manage' (subject-verb agreement error: 'manages') and 'instead spending their time' (missing preposition: 'instead of spending'). Punctuation is generally accurate, and these minor errors do not impede communication. The range of structures is sufficient to support the argument, showing a good level of grammatical competence.

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