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)
Nowadays, people are wasteing alot of stuff which make the atmosphere dirty. they believe that to increase the recycling is the duty of government. In the modern world it is a difficult task to convince others to do something. Government should make rules to reduce the effects of waste materials by recycling. While this may be true to some extent, it also have the adverse effects on our society. In this essay we will discuss how we can encourage people to recycle things.
Firstly, they would argue that waste material is harmful for the humans as well as animals. So, government should restrict the individuals to throw garbage on the roads and streets. Being an honest citizen its the duty of every person to pack their waste stuff in the garbage bags. Meanwhile, government should legislate on recycling which leads to clean atmosphere. Although, legislation on recycling is the need of modern world, unnecessary legislation may lead to more crimes.
Secondly, the opponents would assert that except of making laws government should organise some workshops to train individuals about recycling. Moreover, it is government's duty to encourage people to recycle things. For instance, government should instal recycle bins on the roads and street to gether all the waste material.
in my opinion, making laws by government is not a better way to encourage people to recycle things. government should teach them by playing adds on the internet and banners should be placed on the public places. In addition, recycle bins should be installed in the public places foe example, shopping malls and parks etc.
In conclusion, making laws can not encourage people to recycle things. Government should teach them th
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0
The response addresses all parts of the task by discussing whether laws are required to increase recycling, presenting a clear position that alternative methods like education and infrastructure are better than legislation. Ideas are supported with relevant examples, such as installing recycling bins in public places and airing internet advertisements. However, some arguments remain somewhat repetitive, particularly the emphasis on workshops and bins appearing across multiple paragraphs. The conclusion is also noticeably cut off, which prevents full development of the final thought. Despite these minor limitations, the main stance is clear throughout and the core requirements of the task are met, aligning well with the Band 6 descriptors.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay presents a coherent overall arrangement and attempts a logical progression of ideas using standard cohesive markers such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', and 'In conclusion'. Paragraphing is utilized to separate main body points, though the paragraphs are somewhat short and the final conclusion is abruptly truncated mid-sentence. Referencing and logical transitions are occasionally mechanical, as seen with phrases like 'they would argue' and 'the opponents would assert' which are applied inconsistently to the writer's own viewpoint rather than true counter-arguments. Cohesive devices are generally adequate for the task, placing this response firmly in the Band 6 category.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is adequate for the task, allowing the writer to communicate straightforward ideas about waste management, government rules, and public bins. There are several attempts to use less common items such as 'legislation', 'atmosphere', and 'workshops'. However, numerous spelling and word-choice errors occur throughout the text, including 'wasteing', 'alot', 'gether', 'foe', and 'adds' instead of 'ads'. Furthermore, collocation is occasionally awkward, such as 'make laws' where 'pass laws' might be more natural. These lexical inaccuracies do not severely impede communication, but they restrict the score to Band 5.5.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The writer attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, incorporating conditional and concessive structures like 'While this may be true to some extent, it also have the adverse effects' and 'Although legislation on recycling is the need of modern world...'. However, grammatical control is inconsistent. There are several noticeable errors involving subject-verb agreement ('it also have', 'government should instal'), missing articles ('the duty of government', 'in public places'), and incorrect preposition use. Punctuation and capitalization are also erratic, with lowercase letters beginning several sentences. Because errors are frequent and occasionally cause minor strain for the reader, a Band 5.0 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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