Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-09

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)

A group of individuals believed that most of the waste from homes should be recycled. They argue that the effective way to encourage people for recycling is responsibility of the governments to make it a legal requirement. I partially agree with this statement although governments should make rule for recycling to preserve environment, people are also responsible to take care of the environment.

Some people think that laws are essential to encourage community for recycling material. This is because, when governments make laws people will definietly follow the rules and if the governments do not make laws some time people ignore the process of recycling material. When authorties make any rules people are bound to follow and who will not follow them governments will take legal action and will fine. For example, when anyone break the traffic law they must pay fine for it.

On the other hand, not only governments are responsible individuals should also take care the envrironment themsleves by recycling the waste. For becoming a good country authorties and public both play a vital role. By recyling plastic waste we can reduce pollution which is harmfull for humans and animals as well. Plastic waste drained into oceans which creates harmfull chemicals with the reaction of water that cause breathing problems for marine life. Moreover, when people drink water it also contaminated with impurities which is harmfull for humans.

To conclude, taking everything into consideration, some argue that governments make laws for recycling waste of homes for the benefits of environment. I believe that public also should play role for making the country well.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

You address the question and state a qualified position: you support legal requirements while also saying individuals have a responsibility. The response gives relevant reasons, including the possibility of fines and the environmental harm caused by plastic waste. However, the extent of your agreement could be made more precise: explain whether laws are essential, or simply one useful measure alongside education and public responsibility. The traffic-law example illustrates enforcement, but it does not directly show how recycling laws would work or improve recycling rates. The discussion of pollution is relevant, though its connection to the need for legislation is not fully developed. More specific explanation and a directly relevant example would make your argument more convincing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a clear overall structure, with an introduction, two contrasting body paragraphs and a conclusion. Phrases such as “On the other hand” and “To conclude” help signal the stages of the argument, and the main ideas are generally easy to follow. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes mechanical, particularly through repeated references to governments and laws. Some links between ideas need to be clearer: the discussion of plastic pollution explains why recycling matters, but does not explicitly connect this to why individual responsibility is needed alongside legislation. The conclusion repeats the general position rather than drawing together the two arguments. Use clearer referencing and develop each paragraph around a more explicit central point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use vocabulary relevant to the topic, including “legal requirement,” “recycling,” “pollution,” “contaminated” and “marine life.” This gives you enough language to communicate the main ideas, but the range is limited and several word-choice, collocation and spelling problems reduce precision. For example, “encourage people for recycling” is not a natural phrase, and “take care the environment” is missing the appropriate expression. Repetition of “harmfull” and “laws” also makes the wording less varied. Spelling errors such as “definietly,” “authorties” and “recyling” are noticeable. Aim to learn topic-specific collocations and check spelling, while choosing precise alternatives rather than repeating the same general terms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional structure in “if the governments do not make laws” and a contrast introduced by “although.” The overall meaning is usually understandable, but some sentence structures are faulty or incomplete. For instance, “although governments should make rule …, people are also responsible” needs clearer punctuation and a plural or article before “rule”; “not only governments are responsible individuals should also…” needs a linking structure such as “not only … but … also.” There are also errors in agreement and sentence construction, as in “Plastic waste … creates … that cause.” Work on building complete clauses, controlling agreement and using punctuation to separate connected ideas. More accurate complex sentences would strengthen the response.

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