Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

Waste is the fastest growing environmental hazard. A group of people believe that, home waste is insufficient amount to recycle. However, others argued that, governments should not only introduced new laws, but also make strict rules and regulations related to the recycle process. I agree to the larger extent that, higher authorities should provide some rewards to the people.

One the one hand, there are enormous advantages that government should involve in waste recycling. Frist and foremost, higher authorities should spread awareness and seminars in the schools as well as rural areas. As a consequence, number of students and village citizens get idea about the recycle process. Beside this, government should also conduct recycling product competitions at school level. As a result, maximum graduates can develop their mind into the recycle process. To cite an example, schools should organize a competition "waste out of best" and provide rewards, so maximum students are participate in this competition.

Furthermore, government should also provide recycling machines in local areas and also aware individuals how machine works. In addition, higher authorities should provide gifts to the individuals, who recycle maximum amount of waste. Apart from this, government should also make strict rules and regulations into packaging products, because many companies provide more packaging to protect their products. Thus, industries should focus on alternative packaging rather than plastic bags. For instance, electronic industries are provide more plastics to protect their products, but the industries should use thermal sheet rather than plastic so it is beneficial for both company as well as environment.

To conclude, state officials should not only focus on the infrastructural development, but also focus on the environmental development. These equivalent balance is the symbol of the healthy world.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a relevant position by supporting government involvement, especially through incentives, education and rules for packaging. The examples of school competitions and alternative packaging help illustrate your ideas. However, the question asks specifically how far laws are needed to make households recycle more, and your response focuses more on rewards, awareness and industry packaging than on whether legal requirements are necessary or sufficient. The opening also presents a confusing contrast between people’s views, so your own position—“I agree to the larger extent”—is not fully clear. To strengthen the response, state directly whether laws are essential, then explain how household rules could work and why they should be combined with practical support or incentives.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Sequencing phrases such as “Furthermore,” “In addition” and “To conclude” help signal movement between points, and the examples generally follow the ideas they support. However, progression is weakened by a list-like series of government actions rather than a clear argument about the role of laws. Some links are mechanical or unclear: “As a consequence” and “As a result” repeat a similar function, while the connection between school competitions and “maximum graduates” is difficult to follow. The conclusion introduces “equivalent balance” without clearly summarising the position. Organise the body around two main reasons and use clearer references to connect each example to the question.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You attempt topic-related vocabulary, including “environmental hazard,” “recycling machines,” “packaging products” and “alternative packaging,” which gives the response some relevant range. There are also attempts at less common expressions, but several are inaccurate or unnatural and sometimes make the meaning harder to understand. For example, “higher authorities” is repeated where “the government” would be more natural, “recycle process” is not the usual phrase, and “waste out of best” does not communicate the intended competition clearly. Spelling errors such as “Frist” and “Beside” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural collocations and avoid repeating the same general terms; phrases such as “household waste,” “separate recyclable materials” and “financial incentives” would suit this topic.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You try to use both simple and complex sentences, including clauses introduced by “because,” “who” and “so,” but control is inconsistent. Errors occur in verb forms and agreement: “others argued” and “should not only introduced” need corrected tense or verb patterns, while “industries are provide” and “students are participate” are faulty constructions. Articles and sentence structure are also problematic, as in “number of students” and “These equivalent balance is.” Commas are frequently placed after introductory phrases or before “that” in ways that interrupt the sentence. These errors sometimes make the reader work to understand your meaning. Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and modal verb patterns, and check each sentence for a clear subject and correctly formed main verb.

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