Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-22
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 recent decades, people think that not enough of the waste from homes is recycled. They say that the only way to escalate recycling is for the government should take action against this problems and make legal rule regulations. I strongly agree with this statement because it is essential that all waste should be recycled.
On the one hand, these days pollution is increasing in the world since facilities are not available there to reduce contamination and waste. This is because the government and people do not pay attention and they do not think that how they can manage waste and recycle. Consequently, a large amount of waste accumulates in one place and is completely ignored. Furthermore, muncipal should make legal rules against this issue because it is vital for next generation. A clear example of this is that some Indian cities are suffering from a significant amount of garbage in their areas the government and the general public do not notice this problems.
Nevertheless, authorities should make strict rules for healtheir life. For instance, they should start several campaigns in different places because it is very important that people what should do with waste and they should know about it they should sent waste for recycling process. It helps to diminish diseases and health problems even people can live longer life. As a consequence, countries streets can become more clean and sophisticate.
In conclusion, nowadays pollution is a major concern worldwide because anyone do not pay attention to resolve this problem. Conversely, the government should make a legal rule how to fix this issue and encourage to people for recycle their waste.
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 expressing a clear position agreeing that governments should introduce laws to mandate recycling. However, the development of ideas is somewhat limited and repetitive. While the writer mentions pollution, health benefits, and civic responsibility, these points are not fully extended. For instance, the reference to Indian cities introduces a relevant real-world example, but it remains brief and lacks detailed analysis of how legislation would specifically resolve the issue. The conclusion merely restates the initial premise without adding new perspective. Consequently, the response fits the Band 6 descriptor, where all parts of the task are addressed, but some ideas remain under-developed.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay displays a generally coherent overall arrangement with a recognisable introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used to separate distinct ideas, such as the causes of pollution in the second paragraph and health benefits in the third. However, the progression of ideas is sometimes hindered by clunky or inappropriate cohesive devices, such as 'Nevertheless' used where 'Furthermore' or 'In addition' would be more logical. Referencing is also occasionally unclear, as seen in the phrase 'this problems' and missing subjects in subordinate clauses. Overall, the structural framework is present, but mechanical transitions place this firmly in the Band 5 to 6 range, leaning towards a 5.5 due to cohesion flaws.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The lexical resource is adequate for communicating the basic argument, featuring topic-related vocabulary such as 'pollution', 'contamination', 'recycle', and 'garbage'. However, there are frequent word-choice and collocation errors, such as 'make legal rule regulations', 'muncipal', 'healtheir life', and 'more clean and sophisticate'. The writer attempts less common vocabulary, but inaccurate forms frequently emerge. While meaning remains generally intelligible, these noticeable inaccuracies constrain the lexical score to a Band 5.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The essay uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, though complex structures are frequently faulty. There are persistent grammatical errors, including subject-verb agreement issues ('anyone do not pay attention'), missing auxiliary verbs ('what should do with waste'), and awkward clause structures ('they should know about it they should sent waste'). Punctuation and article use also show frequent lapses. Although the errors do not completely impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent the writing from achieving a Band 6, placing it securely at Band 5.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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