Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-09

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 5.0)

The issue of waste recycling has generated a considerable debate in recent years.Some people believe that in order to tackle this increasingly rising matter government should make certain laws. Conversely other individuals argue that it is a personal preference and stricter laws are unnecessary. In my opinion, I strongly believe that the government should make it a requirement for every household.

one of the points backing my view is the negligence from the people. Waste from larger factories and companies is often well managed and recycled. There are numerous rules and regulations that have to be fulfilled while running these huge buildings, and violation of these legal requirements have however waste coming from homes is frequently dumped without recycling. Reason for this behaviour

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.0

The response is significantly under the required word count of 250 words, reaching only 123 words. Because the essay is incomplete and stops mid-sentence, the task is not fully addressed. The position is stated in the introduction, but the development of ideas is severely limited due to the unfinished nature of the response. To improve, you must ensure you complete the essay by providing a full body paragraph and a conclusion that summarises your argument. Currently, the lack of development and the failure to meet the minimum length requirement significantly impact the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay lacks a clear structure due to its incomplete state. While there is an attempt at an introduction and a start to a body paragraph, the abrupt ending prevents the development of a logical flow. Cohesive devices are used sparingly, such as 'Conversely' and 'one of the points', but the overall progression is interrupted by the unfinished text. To improve, focus on planning your essay into four distinct paragraphs: an introduction, two body paragraphs with clear topic sentences, and a conclusion. Ensure that each idea is fully explained before moving to the next.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary used is generally appropriate for the topic, with phrases like 'considerable debate', 'tackle this increasingly rising matter', and 'legal requirements'. However, the range is limited because the essay is too short to demonstrate a wider variety of topic-specific vocabulary. There are no major spelling errors, but the limited length prevents the use of more sophisticated or varied lexical items. To improve, try to incorporate more precise synonyms and collocations related to environmental policy and waste management.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains some grammatical errors, such as the missing punctuation after 'years' and 'Some', and a sentence fragment in the second paragraph ('violation of these legal requirements have however waste coming from homes...'). The sentence structure is relatively simple, and the lack of completion makes it difficult to assess your ability to use a wide range of complex structures. To improve, focus on sentence boundaries, ensuring each sentence has a clear subject and verb, and work on using a variety of complex sentence forms, such as conditional or relative clauses.

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

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