Band 6.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-03

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)

It is widey debated whether people should take full responsibility of recycling wastes or it is goverment duty to make them recycle of their wastes. While both perspectives have considerable merit, I firmly believe that both viewpoints are valid, as they address different yet complementory aspects of recycling.

On the one hand, there are compelling reasons to support the notion that people by themselves must take considerable measures to recycle their home wastes. The primary justification for this perspective lies in a quantity of daily waste materials each house is generating. This largely attributable to the fact that every day each home is using a lot of stuff which later on necessary to be recycled. More specifically, almost every house uses plastic bags to carry daily items like vegetables, friuts and other grocerry things. If they throw away every plastic bag after a single use, it will contaminate our environment badly. Similarly, the disposing of extra foods is damaging the quality of soil and air. As a result, every single person should take full responsibilty to recycle his personal wastes, underscoring the significance of this approach.

On the other hand, an equally compelling argument can be made in favour of making laws to force people recycle more of their wastes. This viewpoint is particularly persuasive beacuse people will recycle more due to a fear of getting fined. Beyond its immediate advantages, it will incorporates a sense of duty in the minds of people, thereby highlighting the indispenable role of it.

In conclusion, although both points emphasise different aspects of recycling, I firmly believe that both are equally valuable . While the former contributes to individual efforts, the latter plays a pivotal role in collective measures to ensure recycling of wastes. Ultimately, a balanced approach that incorporates both perspectives is likely to yield more comprehensive and sustainable outcomes.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

The response successfully addresses all parts of the prompt by discussing both individual responsibility and government intervention, maintaining a clear position throughout. However, the development of ideas is uneven. While the first body paragraph attempts to explain why individuals should recycle through examples of daily waste like plastic bags and food disposal, some points remain slightly under-developed or repetitive. The second body paragraph concerning government legislation relies on general assertions about the fear of fines rather than fully extending the argument with deeper analysis or concrete examples. To reach a higher level, the ideas need more thorough exploration and deeper support across all supporting paragraphs.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 7.0

The essay presents a clear logical organisation and progression throughout. The overall arrangement is coherent, starting with a well-defined introduction, followed by distinct body paragraphs covering contrasting viewpoints, and concluding with a balanced summary. Cohesive devices are employed reasonably well to link ideas, such as 'On the one hand' and 'On the other hand'. However, referencing and cohesion occasionally feel slightly mechanical or repetitive in transitions. Paragraphing is used sufficiently and appropriately, but refining the inter-sentence links would elevate the flow closer to fully flexible cohesion.

Lexical Resource: Band 6.0

The student demonstrates an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, attempting less common lexical items such as 'complementory', 'indispenable', and 'comprehensive'. However, there are noticeable spelling errors ('widey', 'goverment', 'complementory', 'grocerry', 'responsibilty', 'beacuse') and minor word choice inaccuracies. These errors do not impede communication, but they reflect a Band 6 level where vocabulary control shows occasional slips. To achieve a higher band, the student should expand their range of precise lexical choices and eliminate spelling inaccuracies.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 6.0

The writer uses a mix of simple and complex sentence forms, demonstrating some control over structure through clauses like 'While both perspectives have considerable merit, I firmly believe...' However, there are recurrent errors in grammar and punctuation, such as missing articles ('goverment duty', 'fear of getting fined'), preposition issues ('responsibility of recycling wastes'), and awkward phrasing ('make people recycle more of their wastes'). These errors are present throughout the text but rarely impede communication, placing the grammatical performance firmly at this band level. Incorporating a wider variety of error-free complex structures would help push this criterion upward.

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