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)

Some people feel that there are not aware of residential recycling.They argue that recycling is only increase if people are legally participate.However, I do not think regulation or laws are needed. For one thing low participation of recycling is mainly the result of inconvenience. For another educationa nd awaresness campaigns can achive the same result. I will discuss my view point in upcoming paragraphs.

To begin with, it is inconvenient for many people to recycle their homes waste. Many people do not actively engage in recycling, not because they do not acess to recycling. If they want to participate they have to travel long distance to find recycling centre, which discourages them from their active recycling.If the governments make some laws or make recycling facilities more accessible that will improve recycling without any legal requirement.They not only push but let them know about the importance of recycling, which further safe their expenses.

In additional , awareness campaigns can be effective as a laws. If the laws are mandatory for recycling people will aware of its importance. However, this can be improve by awareness and education. For example if governments campaigns on social media against damage and shows that waste caused hamful issues for planet. In this way people will become alert to the waste crisis. As a result, people have less serious health issues and less waste around the atmosphere.

In conclusion, idea of notation government laws is necessary, While without provide education to public and creative awareness among them can not be neglected.

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion6.0
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You take a position against making recycling legally compulsory and give two relevant reasons: inconvenience and the potential value of education campaigns. This addresses the central question, but the position is not consistently clear: the conclusion refers to the “idea of notation government laws” without making your final view understandable. The supporting ideas also need fuller explanation. For instance, you mention long journeys to recycling centres, but do not give a specific example or explain how improved access would address the problem. The education paragraph introduces a relevant example involving social media, yet the link between awareness and reduced health problems is asserted rather than demonstrated. Develop each reason with a clear explanation and a concrete example, and state your position plainly in the introduction and conclusion.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. The body paragraphs also have distinct purposes, and signposts such as “To begin with,” “For another,” and “In conclusion” help readers follow the broad organisation. However, progression within paragraphs is sometimes difficult to track because links between claims are unclear. For example, the sentence about laws making people aware of recycling’s importance does not clearly connect to the following contrast with education. Some transitions are also mechanical, and references such as “They” in “They not only push” have no clear antecedent. Use linking phrases to show precise relationships between ideas, and ensure each pronoun clearly refers to a person or thing already mentioned.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some topic-related vocabulary, including “recycling facilities,” “awareness campaigns,” “legal requirement,” and “waste crisis,” which helps communicate the subject. However, the range is limited and several inaccurate word choices, collocations and spelling errors make parts of the response difficult to understand. Examples include “residential recycling,” “homes waste,” “active recycling,” and “idea of notation government laws”; the last phrase obscures your intended meaning. There are also misspellings such as “awareness,” “achieve,” and “harmful.” Aim for accurate, natural combinations such as “household waste,” “recycling rates,” and “make recycling compulsory.” Proofread spelling and word forms, and choose vocabulary that expresses your intended point precisely.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including a conditional structure in “If they want to participate they have to travel long distance” and a contrast introduced by “However.” This shows an effort to vary sentence forms, but many sentences contain errors in verb forms, agreement, articles, or sentence construction, which sometimes make the meaning hard to follow. For example, “recycling is only increase” needs a passive form, while “people will aware” is missing a verb. The conclusion’s sentence structure also prevents the reader from identifying your final claim. Practise building accurate clauses before combining them: check that each sentence has a complete verb, use articles and plurals where needed, and punctuate introductory clauses with commas.

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