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)
It is argued that people do not recycle their home waste, and in order to increase the recyling percentage, governments should introduce new laws and make it compuslory. I believe that laws should be introduce because it forces individuals to recycle their rubbish and people will follow it to avoid fines.
People are being lazy nowadays and less likely to recycle their home waste that increase the work-load on recyling companies to seperate recyclable materials from the waste. If governments introduce new laws regarding home waste recycling than people will be more likely to recycle home waste. As a result, recycling process that is carried out by recycling companies will be easier. For example, in Japan, people use recycling bins to recycle their waste because of the law that the government has introduced.
By making it legal reqiurement and collecting fines in case of rule-break, the government can encourage people to recycle home waste so governmen can prevent further distruction that caused by unrecycable materials to environment. For example, Japan has strict policies and people recycle their waste to avoid being charged. If the governments across the world adopt these polices, not only it is safe for the environment but also increase the percentage of recyling home waste.
In conclusion, people are not recycling their home waste and introducing recycling laws will force individuals to recycling because they do not want to be charged for their un-enviornmentally practices and it will also reduce the work-load on the comapnies that recycle the products.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5
Your position is clear: you support legal requirements, especially because people may comply to avoid fines. You give relevant reasons about making recycling easier for companies and protecting the environment, and the Japan examples help illustrate your view. However, the response addresses the issue somewhat narrowly: it mainly repeats that laws and penalties will increase recycling, while offering little consideration of whether laws alone are sufficient or what practical measures would make them effective. Some claims, such as people being “lazy nowadays,” are asserted rather than explained or supported. Develop each reason with a clearer explanation or a specific, credible example, and address the extent of your agreement more explicitly to make the argument fuller and more convincing.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0
The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. Ideas generally move from the proposed law to its effects, and linking phrases such as “As a result,” “For example” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the argument. However, progression is somewhat mechanical, and the two body paragraphs overlap: both rely on legal enforcement and Japan as support. Some connections are unclear, particularly “that increase the work-load,” where the relationship between low recycling and companies’ workload needs to be stated more precisely. The conclusion also largely repeats the introduction. Give each body paragraph a distinct focus and use clearer references and transitions to show how each point advances your argument.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “recyclable materials,” “legal requirement,” “fines” and “environment,” so the main ideas are understandable. However, the range is limited and several words or phrases are repeated, especially “home waste,” “recycle” and “government.” There are also noticeable spelling and word-choice problems, such as “recyling,” “compuslory,” “seperate,” “distruction” and “un-enviornmentally,” which reduce accuracy and polish. Some combinations are unnatural, for example “increase the work-load on recycling companies” and “charged for their … practices.” Build a wider set of precise expressions for waste management and enforcement, and check spelling and collocations carefully.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including conditional and result structures such as “If governments introduce new laws … people will be more likely to recycle” and “If the governments across the world adopt these policies…”. The overall meaning is usually recoverable, but errors occur in verb forms, agreement, articles and sentence construction. For instance, “laws should be introduce” needs a passive form, while “that increase the work-load” does not agree with its subject; “not only it is safe … but also increase” is also structurally unbalanced. The conclusion’s “force individuals to recycling” uses the wrong verb pattern. Practise accurate passive forms, subject–verb agreement and parallel structures, then proofread each sentence for a complete, grammatically consistent construction.
See this exact question answered at other band scores. The same prompt compared across bands.
Browse more IELTS Writing model answers or get your own writing scored by the same AI examiner.