Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-25

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)

Some people believe that the required proportion of waste from households are not being recycled by individuals and argue that the creation of rules and regulations by the authorities is the only way to fix this problem. I agree with this sentiment because I believe formation of strict rules and conduction of awareness programmes by the government can reduce this issue.

First and foremost, proper rules and regulations should be created by the government to ameliorate the management condition and recycling habits of residents. If people are getting punished for not managing their litter and waste, recycling is going to increase all around the nation. For example, littering in the streets decreased by a large percentage in London after the government passed a law on fining people for littering in public places.

In addition to this, the majority of the citizens are unaware of the consequences of improper waste management. It can spread various communicable diseases, contaminate the drinking water and so on. Therefore, government should provide the required knowledge to their citizens through various awareness programmes. This can inspire and motivate many people to perform recycling activities across the country. For reference, India is conducting various awareness programmes to educate the people regarding the issues and problems that can be caused by pollution and improper waste management.

To conclude, I agree with people who believe that the government should make some rules regarding waste management in the country because creation of such rules and occurance of awareness programmes all around the nation can reduce the pollution and make our society, environment as well as planet clean and healthy.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The student addresses all parts of the prompt, discussing both the perspective on recycling and the extent to which laws are needed. A clear position is established in the introduction and maintained throughout the essay. Main ideas, such as the implementation of punitive laws and the necessity of public awareness programmes, are supported by examples like London and India. However, the development of ideas tends to remain somewhat general rather than deeply explored. For instance, the example of India mentions awareness programmes broadly without specific details on their impact. Nevertheless, all task requirements are adequately met, corresponding well to the Band 6.5 or Band 7 descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5

The essay displays a clear overall progression. Each paragraph has a distinct focus, moving logically from the introduction to the legal argument, the awareness argument, and finally the conclusion. Cohesive devices such as 'First and foremost', 'In addition to this', and 'To conclude' are used appropriately to guide the reader through the text. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and effectively. However, referencing and cohesive links are sometimes a bit mechanical rather than seamless. For example, 'This can inspire and motivate many people' relies on a straightforward pronoun reference that could be tied more smoothly to the preceding sentence. Overall, the organizational structure is sound and meets Band 7 standards.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

The student uses an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting some less common items such as 'ameliorate', 'communicable diseases', and 'contaminate'. However, there are noticeable word choice and collocation inaccuracies. For example, the phrase 'required proportion of waste' is awkward, and 'perform recycling activities' is less natural than simply 'recycle' or 'engage in recycling'. Furthermore, there is a minor grammatical-lexical slip in the introduction where 'waste... are not being recycled' appears, though this falls under grammar/agreement. Spelling is generally accurate throughout the response. The lexical range is sufficient for a Band 6.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

The writer demonstrates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional clauses ('If people are getting punished...') and relative clauses. However, there are several grammatical errors and awkward structures. In the opening sentence, a subject-verb agreement error occurs: 'the required proportion of waste from households are not being recycled' (should be 'is'). Another agreement error is seen in 'government should provide' (missing the article 'the'). Punctuation and minor phrasing issues appear, such as the comma splice and clumsy listing in the conclusion: 'make our society, environment as well as planet clean'. These errors do not impede communication, placing the response firmly at Band 6.

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

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