Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-14

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 one of the leading factor causing pollution in the country. Some people thought that, waste is not being enough recycled by the homes, thus according to them government should make strict rules in recycling of waste. I believe that there are equal participation of government and society in removing waste from the country.

Admittedly, there are many reasons of increasing waste in the cities. First of all, plastic bottles are a major component of waste. People use these bottles in homes and offices and after this they threw it on an open area. Thus resulting in pollution and waste. Secondly, plastic bags are also the utmost factor of waste.For instance, in the daily routines uncountable plastic bags are used for grossery and other items. These are also left away on roads and parks. Detergents and other similar stuff are also one of reason in bringing waste to the society.

Moreover, some people think that government should take notice in this important matter. They say that the only way to increase recycling is to make it a legal requirement. Policies should be adopted by organization in controlling and recycling of waste. Instead of plastic bags, cotton bags should be used, because of their recycling property they can be used for lot of times. These bags can also be easily dumped into the soil where they can be digested. There should be waste drum and plastic drum in every city and every corner of society, so that instead of throwing away one can put waste and plastic bottles into these boxes where they can be easily recycle. The seminars should be created in Schools, colleges and universities for recycling of waste.

In conclusion, waste is not a big problem which can't be eliminated from society. Both society and goverment play an equal role in reduction of waste.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You give a relevant position in the introduction and conclusion: you believe both government and society have a role in reducing waste. You also address legal measures by mentioning policies and waste bins, and offer examples such as replacing plastic bags with cotton ones. However, the response only partly answers how necessary laws are: it does not clearly explain whether laws are essential, or how they would make households recycle more. Much of the second paragraph describes sources of waste rather than developing your argument about legislation, and the proposed measures are not clearly linked to enforcement or likely results. Explain your position directly and support it with a specific example of a law or incentive and its effect.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion, and signposts such as “First of all,” “Secondly,” and “In conclusion” help identify stages of the discussion. However, the overall progression is limited: the paragraph about plastic bottles, bags and detergents lists causes of waste, then the next shifts to government action without a clear link to the question of whether laws are needed. Some connections are also awkward or unclear, as in “Thus resulting in pollution and waste.” Repeated use of “waste” and “plastic” makes the development feel repetitive. Organise the body around a clear argument—for example, the role of laws followed by the role of public education—and use linking phrases to show how each example supports your position.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “recycling,” “legal requirement,” “pollution,” “policies” and “cotton bags,” so the reader can follow the general subject. However, the range is limited and several word choices or collocations are inaccurate, which sometimes makes the meaning less natural: “utmost factor of waste,” “waste drum,” and “digested” for bags being broken down in soil. There are also spelling errors such as “grossery” and “goverment.” Repetition of “waste” and “plastic” further restricts the range. Build a bank of precise environmental terms and check collocations; for example, use “a major source of waste,” “recycling bins,” and “biodegrade” where appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional-style explanation with “so that” and a reason clause with “because.” However, the range is limited, and errors occur frequently enough to make some sentences difficult to read. Examples include “Waste is one of the leading factor,” where the noun should be plural, and “People … after this they threw it,” where the tense and sentence structure are faulty. Other examples include “there are equal participation” and “one of reason,” which show problems with agreement and articles. Punctuation also needs attention, particularly the comma after “thought that” and the run-together sentence after “waste.” Practise accurate sentence patterns before adding more complex clauses.

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