Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-13

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)

There is an ongoing debate going on whether or not there should be an improvement made for recycling of waste products from households. I strongly agree that necessary measures should be taken by the government for waste management in a country.

As there is a significant increase in the world's population the usage of resources have also increased which results in high amount of waste production. Citizens of a country should be made aware of the hazards of waste and how it would affect the environment if initiatives of waste management are not taken into consideration. There is also an increase in residency of people and as the population keeps increasing more and more awareness should be spread for waste management and it should be made legal for citizens to act upon it.

The government plays a vital role in implementing the necessary measures for waste management. The citizens should be held accountable for their own waste production and fines should be collected for littering anywhere in public spaces. Households are the primary sources for waste production, there are different kinds of waste produced in an household such as food waste, clothing waste, water wastage and so on. The general public should be made aware of the proper allocation of the waste such as what is dry waste and wet waste and proper waste management drives should be carried on public education. Three Rs: Reuse, Reduce and Recycle should be taught and timely redemonstration of these practices should be done for the betterment of the environment. Citizens should also realise their roles in implementing these roles by themselves and reassuring that their surroundings should be kept clean.

In conclusion, It is very much necessary for the government to make it a legal requirment for the citizens to do proper waste management but citizens are also equally responsibile for their actions and waste management can only work if accountability is seen from both sides.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the task by presenting a clear position agreeing that laws are needed to enforce recycling. The ideas are generally relevant, discussing population growth, government responsibility, and the Three Rs. However, the development of ideas tends to be repetitive, particularly regarding awareness and population growth in the second paragraph, rather than fully extending the arguments with distinct, specific examples. While the position is clear throughout, the support remains somewhat general, meaning it sits comfortably within the Band 6 descriptors where relevant ideas are presented, but some are under-developed or repetitive.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0

The essay has a coherent overall arrangement with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct points, such as population issues, government measures, and public duties. However, cohesion is at times faulty and mechanical. For instance, the transition between ideas relies on repetitive phrases like 'There is also an increase in residency' and referencing can feel slightly disjointed. Cohesive devices are present but lack flexibility, resulting in a somewhat formulaic progression of ideas. This matches the characteristics of Band 6, where the overall arrangement is coherent, but cohesion is sometimes mechanical.

Lexical Resource — Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using topic-specific terms such as 'waste management', 'primary sources', 'food waste', and 'allocation of the waste'. There are some attempts at less common vocabulary, but these are accompanied by lexical inaccuracies and awkward collocations, such as 'redemonstration of these practices' or 'water wastage' in the context of household solid waste recycling. Spelling is generally accurate, but word choice errors occasionally surface. The vocabulary is minimally sufficient to convey the message, but it lacks the precision and flexibility required for higher bands, placing it firmly at Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over multi-clause structures like conditional and relative clauses ('how it would affect the environment if initiatives...'). However, there are noticeable grammatical errors and punctuation lapses throughout the text. Examples include missing articles ('in an household'), comma splices ('In conclusion, It is very much necessary'), and minor agreement issues ('citizens are also equally responsibile'). These errors do not impede communication, but they occur frequently enough to prevent the grammar score from reaching Band 7, making Band 6 an accurate reflection of the student's current grammatical control.

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