Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-21
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)
In today's modern world, people often argue that the reusing of waste collected from homes are not being performed effectively and state that it is crucial to make recycling a legal necessity.
I do agree to this state upto certain extend.This essay will discuss about the given topic.
It can's be denied that the recycle items are not being able to be converted into items which can be at it's maximum potential.Similarly,not all the waste which is ontained from homes are recycled as only specific items are chosen to undergo the method of recycle.This concerns the citizens that not all the available recourses which they provide are being used correctly.This has caused spark among the people which results in people asking the help of govenment in this proplem.Making it a legal requirement will surely increase the pace and the overall amount of recycling is being done.Legal requirement cases the people who work in recycling centre to work with more focus and more determination and also due to the fear of being punished for violating the rules and regulations.For instance:China has made recycling a legal requirement in their country through which china has increase the total percentage of recycled items from 60% to a staggering 90% of teir overall productions of different items such as refurbished mobile phone etc.
Conversely,Though creating laws for recycling may sound appealing but creating too strict rules might again cause a havoc in the public and workers overall mental and physical health as having over strict rules on the topic of such jobs as recycling may cause the worker to loose their intrest in doing the job as a result of negeative effect of strict laws such as paying a large sum of fine which is even greater than their own pay from the job.This will again degrade the worker's efficeincy instead of increasing it.
In the end,It can be a wise step to make recycling as a legal requirement but the laws should not be too strict or harsh on the worker in order save their efficiency and overall percentage
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response addresses the prompt by discussing the extent to which recycling should be made a legal requirement, presenting a clear position agreeing up to a certain extent. Ideas are extended, such as discussing the potential benefits of government laws (increased recycling percentages) and the counter-arguments regarding excessive strictness on workers. However, some arguments lack full development and rely on general assertions, such as the mention of China's statistics. Overall, the task is addressed adequately, fitting the criteria for Band 6.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is divided into logical paragraphs with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. However, cohesive devices are sometimes mechanical or faulty, as seen in the abrupt transitions and punctuation errors like 'Conversely,Though creating laws...'. Referencing is occasionally unclear, and spacing issues (e.g., missing spaces after commas and periods throughout the text) disrupt the visual flow of cohesion. Paragraphing is present and generally appropriate, but overall cohesion needs more flexibility and accuracy to reach a higher band. This performance aligns with Band 5.5.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The student attempts less common vocabulary such as 'legal necessity', 'staggering', and 'efficiency', but also makes numerous word choice and spelling errors, such as 'reusing' instead of 'recycling', 'ertain extend', 'ontained', 'recourses' instead of 'resources', 'proplem', and 'negeative'. These vocabulary and spelling errors occasionally impede smooth reading, although meaning can generally be deciphered. The range is adequate for the task, but lexical control is inconsistent, placing it firmly at Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student attempts a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, but control is weak, with frequent grammatical errors. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('the reusing of waste... are not being performed', 'the overall amount of recycling is being done'), tense confusion ('It can's be denied', 'recycle items are not being able'), and run-on structures. Punctuation is also problematic, with missing spaces after punctuation marks and misused capitals. Because errors are frequent and occasionally cause difficulty for the reader, a score of 5.0 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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