Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-20

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)

There is rapid increament in the amount of waste from every houslholds day by day. Due to these pollution is increased nowadays. To grasp control over this, wastes from homes should be recycled in such a way that it can be used in our day to day life . But some people claim that waste is not recycled efficiently. Some say that government should make it a legal requirment as to increase the recycling process.

The production of wastes are increasing nowadays , whether it is household waste , factory waste,drainage waste etc. Eradication of wastes is impossible but grasping control over the increament of waste is possible , and only way to reduce the waste to cause environmental pollution is to recycle it as much as we can. Nowadays, many people are recylcing the waste items, such as cupboards,tables and other furniture's item and are recylcing it into useful home decors. Many youtubers such as Crazy XYZ and Mr Indian hacker are influencing others to recycle waste items into useful items to the audiences. This helps to create positive impact on the audience's mind related to recycling.Schools should teach students to turn kitchen wastes into manures.

Recycling is most crucial step for which governments should make strict laws because in present holy rivers like the Yamuna,the Ganga are polluted because of the industrial wastes being released into water sources directly without even purifying it results in accumulation of white foam on the top of the rivers. Governments shpould made sticts laws on such kind of practices.

In my opinion, strict laws are needed to make people recycle more of their waste and these is duty of both individuals and government to look out at it . The more we will stay conscious about recycling the better our future will be.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by discussing whether governments should make recycling a legal requirement, offering a personal viewpoint. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and shifts focus from household recycling to industrial pollution in the third paragraph, specifically mentioning rivers like the Yamuna and Ganga. While this relates broadly to waste management, it diverges slightly from the specific focus on household waste and laws to compel recycling. The position is stated, but the arguments lack depth and rely on general assertions rather than fully extended discussion. Therefore, the response aligns best with a Band 5.5 to 6.0 descriptor range, fulfilling the main task requirements while showing uneven development across paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The essay is divided into distinct paragraphs, attempting an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. However, the overall progression is somewhat disjointed. Paragraph transitions are abrupt, and cohesive devices are used rather mechanically or inaccurately (for example, the transition in the third paragraph starting abruptly with 'Recycling is most crucial step'). Referencing is also occasionally unclear, such as 'these is duty of both individuals' in the concluding paragraph. Paragraphing is present, but internal logical flow requires improvement to ensure a smoother progression of ideas. This places the response solidly within the Band 5.0 range for Coherence and Cohesion.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The student attempts a range of vocabulary, including terms like 'eradication', 'accumulation', and 'environmental pollution'. However, there are numerous spelling and word-formation errors throughout the text, such as 'increament' instead of increment, 'houslholds' instead of households, and 'requirment' instead of requirement. Additionally, phrasing like 'furniture's item' and 'cause environmental pollution' demonstrates restricted lexical control and collocation issues. While the meaning is generally communicated, these persistent errors prevent the lexical score from reaching higher bands. The vocabulary used is adequate for the task but marred by frequent inaccuracies, fitting the Band 5.0 profile.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but grammatical accuracy is weak throughout. There are frequent errors in verb tense, subject-verb agreement, and punctuation, such as 'Governments shpould made sticts laws' and 'these is duty'. Sentences often contain structural flaws, such as 'only way to reduce the waste to cause environmental pollution is to recycle it as much as we can', which lacks necessary articles and precision. Although the reader can discern the intended meaning, the density of grammatical and mechanical errors significantly impedes fluency and places the performance at a Band 5.0 level.

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

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