Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-13

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)

In this essay we will dicuss about the recycling waste, as some people believe that not enough of the waste from home is recycled and the only way to increase recycling is for governments to make some laws and regulation about the waste recycling. Overall, I do believe that not enought amount of waste is collected from homes to recycle, and in my opinion government should take proper measures to overcome this isssue but meanwhile people also need take this issue seriously and cooperate with authorities.

Overall, the government should invest on making the recycling a legal requirement and the authorities must need to make the proper plan for collecting the waste from the homes.Along with the plan, they must aware the people abouth this issue by using the advertisements and banners or by arranging the conferences and events. Then they should implement that plan. For example; placing the seperate dustbins for recycleable waste and other waste, introduce vehicles and hire persons to transport the waste from bins to the recycling plants.

Besides, the peope also need to assist government to solve this problem. They must need to follow the regulations made by authorities. For example; its the basic responsibility of everyone to put the waste in to the dustbin and not to burn it or any other activity to gett rid of waste. They can also motivate other people to follow the instructions.

In my option,the government should make laws and regulations to increase recycling by proper plan and the persons living in the society also feel the responsibility to recycle the waste.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a clear overall view: you support government laws while also saying that residents must cooperate. The examples of separate bins, collection vehicles and public awareness activities are relevant to the question. However, the response mainly describes how a recycling scheme could operate, rather than explaining how necessary laws are or whether they are the only effective way to increase recycling. The claim that government should make recycling a legal requirement is repeated, but its likely impact and possible limits are not developed. To strengthen the response, explain why voluntary action may be insufficient, and support your position with a specific example or a comparison with non-legal measures. The length requirement is met; 11 words copied from the task prompt were not counted.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, separate paragraphs on government action and public responsibility, and a concluding position. Examples generally follow the points they illustrate, so the reader can understand the main line of argument. However, progression is limited: the first body paragraph lists several proposed actions without clearly showing how they connect to the need for laws, and the conclusion largely repeats the introduction. Linking phrases such as “Overall,” “Along with,” and “Besides” are used, but some feel mechanical or do not establish a precise relationship between ideas. Improve cohesion by giving each paragraph one clear claim, explaining it, and using references and transitions that show cause, contrast or consequence.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “recycling,” “legal requirement,” “regulations,” “dustbins,” and “recycling plants,” which makes the subject clear. There is some attempt to vary expressions, for example “proper measures” and “follow the instructions.” However, the range is limited and several word-choice or spelling errors are noticeable, including “dicuss,” “enought,” “seperate,” “recycleable,” and “peope.” Some combinations are also unnatural, such as “invest on making” and “overcome this issue.” These errors do not prevent the reader from understanding the main ideas, but they reduce precision and fluency. Build a more accurate set of collocations for discussing policy and waste management, and proofread spelling and word forms.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and longer sentence forms, including a sentence beginning “Although” in effect through “as some people believe,” and examples introduced with “For example.” The main message is usually understandable, but control is inconsistent, and complex constructions often contain errors. For instance, “people also need take this issue seriously” is missing “to,” while “the authorities must need to make” uses an incorrect verb pattern. There are also problems with articles, agreement and sentence boundaries, as in “government should take” and the run-together sentence ending “homes.Along.” Work on accurate verb patterns, articles and punctuation first, then build longer sentences from clearly controlled clauses. More consistently accurate sentences would make your argument easier to follow.

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