Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-09-30

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 6.5)

Population growth has significantly impacted waste production; resulting in a recycling crisis. Many believe that not enough is being done to ensure household waste is sufficiently recycled. It has been said that the solution to this growing issue is for governments to legalise the act of recycling. I strongly agree as recycling should be an activity completed by all citizens, as we are all contributors of waste. By making this law, we will also alliviate the burden placed on governments to use financial rescources to recycle enormous amounts of waste that has been dumped by households.

Recycling on a small scale is far easier and more attainable than that of a large scale scale project. For example, it is much easier for a household to classify their recycling as it is produced in the home. An example of this includes recycling while cooking: plastic containers can be placed in one bin while organic matter can be placed in another. This is an efficient and effect way for individuals to recycle while adhearing to the law.

By legistlating this, governments will also be alliviated of the fiscal burden of recycling enormous amounts of waste produced by citizens. This could then be allocated to other areas of concern, and in turn, benefit the lives of all citizens. An example of this could be instead of having to spend noteable amounts of money on recycling equipment for rubbish dumps, money can be spent on building new infrastructure such as parks and playgrounds. This will serve the community well as well being a benefit of recycling.

In conclusion, recycling is an inevitable part of life. Legistaling this will not only serve the government but its people too. Households have the achievable task of being responsible for their own waste while the government has its responsibility to care for the greater community. By doing this, both objectives can be obtained.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 7.0

The response effectively addresses all parts of the prompt, taking a clear and well-developed stance that governments should legally mandate household recycling. The writer introduces relevant arguments, such as the efficiency of sorting waste at the household level and the financial relief it brings to public budgets. Ideas are extended with appropriate explanations and examples, such as separating organic matter while cooking and reallocating funds to parks and playgrounds. Although the ideas are somewhat general, they adequately fulfill the requirements of the task. The position is maintained consistently from the introduction through to the conclusion, showing a good understanding of the prompt requirements.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay displays a clear logical organization and progression throughout. Each paragraph has a distinct central topic, starting with an introduction that outlines the writer's position, followed by body paragraphs exploring home-level sorting and governmental financial relief, and ending with a concise conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately and sufficiently. Cohesive devices are employed to guide the reader, such as 'For example,' 'By legistlating this,' and 'In conclusion.' However, there is some minor repetition in cohesive phrasing, but overall the progression is logical and easy to follow, meeting the criteria for a well-structured essay.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate to sufficient range of vocabulary for the task. Words and phrases such as 'population growth,' 'fiscal burden,' 'allocate,' and 'community' are used appropriately. However, there are notable spelling errors that occur multiple times, such as 'alliviate' instead of 'alleviate,' 'rescources' instead of 'resources,' 'adhearing' instead of 'adhering,' 'legistlating' and 'legistaling' instead of 'legislating,' and 'noteable' instead of 'notable.' While these errors do not impede communication, their frequency prevents the lexical score from reaching a higher band. Less common lexical items are attempted, but spelling inaccuracies detract from precision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The essay incorporates a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, including conditional-style phrasing and relative clauses, such as 'By making this law, we will also alliviate the burden placed on governments to use financial rescources to recycle enormous amounts of waste that has been dumped by households.' There are, however, several grammatical and mechanical errors, particularly punctuation misuse in the opening sentence ('Population growth has significantly impacted waste production; resulting in a recycling crisis') where a semicolon is used incorrectly before a participle phrase. Despite these errors and the spelling issues mentioned elsewhere, the majority of sentences are understandable, and communication is rarely impeded.

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