Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-02

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)

Many individuals argue that domestic recycling remain insufficient and that introducing strict government legislation is a effective method to boost participation. In my opinion, while laws are very helpful to make people follow rules, they are not the only solution. Government need to teach people and and provide recycle bins.

On the one hand, making law is the fast way to encourage individuals and when recycling is optional, many people throw everthing in the recycle bin becasue it is easy. If government makes strict rules and fines, people habits automatically changes to avoid paying extra money. For instance, Germany have strict laws for storing waste material and citizens which does not recycle them propely have to pay fines because Germany now having a high recycling rate.

On the other hand, laws alone are not enough if people donot have the tools to recycle. First governmnet should provide good infrastructure. This means that giving every house colored bins to recycle waste in that trash. If individuals donot have recycle bin near to their home, the law will not help . Secondaly its government responsibility to educate people about how to trash waste material. For example, recycling is made when government educate childrens and students and if advertisments are madeit helps people began to clear their waste from houses and clean their houses.

In conclusion, from my perspective laws are every important to make citizens follow the rules and its authorities responsibilty to guide their residents how to recycling their waste material in different color bins and by following this can ensure a good enivronment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response addresses all parts of the prompt, providing a clear position that legislation is necessary but insufficient on its own. The ideas are relevant, such as the mention of infrastructure and education. However, the development is somewhat limited. For instance, the example regarding Germany is a good start but lacks depth, and the second body paragraph relies on repetitive phrasing like 'trash waste material' and 'clean their houses' without fully exploring the nuance of public awareness campaigns. To reach a higher band, you should expand on the 'how' and 'why' of your arguments with more detailed explanations rather than listing points.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. Cohesive devices are present, such as 'On the one hand', 'On the other hand', and 'In conclusion', which help guide the reader. However, the use of these devices is sometimes mechanical or repetitive. There are also instances where referencing is slightly unclear, such as the phrase 'if advertisments are madeit helps people began to clear their waste'. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the flow and coherence of the argument.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task but lacks the precision and variety required for higher bands. You rely on basic terms like 'good', 'make', and 'trash'. There are also some errors in word choice and collocation, such as 'trash waste material' (instead of 'dispose of waste') and 'making law' (instead of 'enacting legislation'). While the meaning is clear throughout, the range of vocabulary is limited, and there are occasional spelling errors like 'everthing', 'becasue', and 'advertisments'. Expanding your range of academic collocations would significantly improve your score.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally distract the reader. Common issues include subject-verb agreement ('recycling remain', 'Government need', 'Germany have'), missing articles, and incorrect verb forms ('people habits automatically changes'). Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with run-on sentences and missing spaces after punctuation. While the errors do not prevent the reader from understanding your main points, they are frequent enough to limit the score. Focusing on basic subject-verb agreement and proofreading for small typos would be highly beneficial.

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

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