Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

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

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)

Number of people claims that not enough of the waste from homes is recycled. They say that the only way to increase recycling is for the government to make it legal requirements for everyone. The question to make it legal or not, I believe government should passed an legislation to make people recycle more of thier waste.

From the report of United nations Environment report, it stated that if we don't recycle enough waste by 2030, the air quality index will increase and its become very difficult for people to breath without using masks. Recycling the waste from homes will decrease the environment pollution. However, making it a legal Act will increase the recycling process as if they don't do it often , they may face legal action against them and no person wants to have any crime record on their name. For example, In china, it is crime to throw any waste on the road. Beacuse of that several peoples fears to throw any garbage outside thier house. As compared to Pakistan, people throw waste without any fear or concern. That's why I believe making it a law highly likely makes people to recycle home waste more often.

However, People will raise concerns on should we pass this act or not on why this recycle process become a high concern in recent years, but evantually they will accept it for the betterment of future earth and recycle more often.

In conculsion, I believe making it a law can increase the recycling process in a while and it will make the environment safe for future.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0

You give a clear view that legislation is needed, and you support it with a comparison between China and Pakistan. However, the response only partially develops the task: it focuses mainly on the possible effect of legal penalties and gives little consideration to whether laws are necessary alongside other ways of encouraging recycling. The reference to a United Nations report is also asserted rather than explained or substantiated, and the claim about air quality does not directly show how recycling laws would work. The conclusion repeats your position but adds little. The response is 244 words, below the required 250; the 21 words copied from the prompt are not counted. Develop the reasoning and add a relevant, explained example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, a main paragraph supporting laws, a brief paragraph acknowledging concerns, and a conclusion. Linking expressions such as “However,” “For example,” and “In conclusion” help signal the direction of the argument. However, progression is uneven: the paragraph beginning “However, People will raise concerns” introduces an idea but does not explain what those concerns are or connect them clearly to the argument. The main paragraph also moves quickly from air quality to legal action and then to country comparisons. Use clearer topic sentences and develop each paragraph around one connected point; make references such as “they” and “this act” more explicit.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “recycling process,” “legal action,” “environment pollution,” and “betterment of future earth,” so the reader can generally understand your subject and position. There are also attempts to use more formal language, such as “legislation” and “legal requirement.” However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “environment pollution,” “crime record on their name,” and “future earth.” Spelling errors such as “Beacuse,” “thier,” and “conculsion” are noticeable. Build a more precise set of expressions for waste management and environmental policy, and check spelling and natural word combinations during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a conditional construction in “if we don't recycle enough waste by 2030” and a reason clause with “as if they don't do it often.” These attempts show some range, but control is inconsistent, and frequent errors sometimes make the reader pause. Examples include “the government to make it legal requirements,” “government should passed,” and “it stated that … the air quality index will increase and its become,” which contain problems with articles, verb forms, and agreement. Sentence boundaries and punctuation are also uneven, as in the long sentence beginning “However, making it a legal Act.” Practise accurate subject–verb agreement and verb forms, then divide long sentences into clearer clauses.

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