Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-22

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)

There is a concern that household waste are not being properly recycled. some people believe that recycling of household products is very less, while some thinks that government should introduce the policy of recycling the products. I believe that recycling is best way to protect the atmosphere.

On the one hand, legislation is essential to increase the recycling. Consequently, the people are very lazy and they do not follow the recycling because they find this time consuming. Due to strict policy the people will start following these if anyone ignore this they will get punish and fine. For instance, the recycling rules are very hard in Germany, as there are separate bin for every type of waste. The residents should follow all instruction which is posted by the governments due to this law the recycling ratio have improved in many countries such as reycling in Germany reach 65% which is higher as compared to other countries.

On the other hand, legislation is also crucial for recycling of wastes. By giving education to people about the recycling procedure through different process about the impact of recycling on the environement. In educational institutions give the knowledge about the recycling steps and process which are involve in recycling and compaigns which shows the positive impacts of reprocess of waste. In many developed countries the governments give reward to people on following the recycling policy. For instance, on recyling the plastic bottles they get cash or reward they cas use to buy groccery.

In conclusion, i agree to a large extent that laws are needed to make the people recycle more, as they clear the obligation. Nevertheless, the longer success of recyling process, providing facilites and giving reward.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you agree that laws are needed, and you explain that penalties can encourage compliance. The Germany example and the mention of rewards for returning plastic bottles are relevant support. You also refer to education and facilities, which adds some breadth to your response. However, the discussion does not fully answer the extent question: the second body paragraph mainly lists education and incentives without explaining how these complement or compare with legal requirements. The claim that people are “very lazy” is broad and would be stronger if qualified or supported. Develop the reasoning behind your examples and make the relationship between laws and other measures more explicit.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.0

The response has a recognisable introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and the contrast signalled by “On the one hand” and “On the other hand” helps the reader follow the broad structure. However, progression within paragraphs is uneven. The second paragraph begins by repeating that legislation is crucial, then shifts to education and rewards without clearly showing how these ideas connect. Some linking phrases, such as “Consequently” and “Due to this law,” do not express the relationships precisely, while repeated references to recycling make the flow feel mechanical. Organise each paragraph around one main point, explain it, and then give a directly connected example. Clearer links between sentences would make the argument easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “legislation,” “separate bin,” “recycling ratio,” “educational institutions” and “reward.” This gives you enough language to discuss the subject, but the range is limited and several choices or forms are inaccurate, sometimes making meaning less clear. Examples include “recycling of household products is very less,” “reprocess of waste,” and “the longer success of recyling process.” Spelling errors such as “environement,” “compaigns” and “groccery” also reduce accuracy. Aim for more natural collocations and check spelling carefully. Repeating “recycling” and “policy” can also be reduced by using precise alternatives such as “waste sorting” or “regulations” where appropriate.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and more complex sentences, including conditional reasoning (“if anyone ignore this they will get punish and fine”) and a concluding contrast introduced by “Nevertheless.” However, control is inconsistent, and errors in agreement, verb forms, articles and sentence construction are noticeable. For example, “household waste are” should use a singular verb, while “there are separate bin” needs a plural noun. The sentence beginning “By giving education…” is a fragment, and “the people will start following these” has an unclear reference. Capitalisation and punctuation are also inconsistent, including the lowercase “some” after the opening sentence. Practise building complete sentences and checking subject–verb agreement and verb forms.

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.