Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-24
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 6.0)
Recycling is the reprocess of an item which can either be a bottle or a glass for future use in order to keep the environment clean . Many people consider that not all the waste products from homes are being totally recycled .They strongly believe that, this can only be done if the government impose it as a legal duty. In my opinion, I strongly agree that for recycling to be effective the government need to take strong actions such as fines ,lifting taxes and turning this thread as an opportunity.
Nowadays, it is not that easy to manage a big city with million of individuals . A city like Istanbul in Turkey forinstance is not that easy to walk from a door to another door to control if the waste have been recycled or not .So I thhink the government can just impose a fine to person that does not really respect the rules and regulation of the society.
Moreover, when I was in Germany ,I think they had one of the best systems .This is because they turn recycling as an opportunity to both make profit and keep the environment clean there by avoiding pollution . A good example is you can go with your bottle in a supermarket that you have aleady use to recycle yourself and at the end you earn an amount of 25 cents per bottle.
To conclude , every country has its way of functioning but in my view ,to increase recycling the government has to make it as a legal rule and duty for every citizen.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 6.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 6.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0
Your position is clear: you strongly support government action, and you address the question by discussing penalties and incentives. The Istanbul example explains why direct monitoring is impractical, while the German bottle-return scheme gives a relevant illustration of how financial rewards can encourage recycling. However, the argument is not developed equally throughout. The claim that governments should use “fines” is only briefly explained, and “lifting taxes” and turning the issue into an opportunity are mentioned in the introduction but not properly explored later. To strengthen the response, explain when legal penalties are justified and how they could work alongside incentives, then support each main point with a fuller explanation or example.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.5
The response has a clear overall structure: an introduction states your view, two body paragraphs present enforcement and incentives, and a conclusion restates your position. Linking expressions such as “Moreover” and “To conclude” help signal the progression, and the examples are placed in relevant paragraphs. This meets the lower-band expectation of coherent organisation and shows some of the clearer progression associated with a stronger performance. However, connections between ideas are occasionally abrupt: the introduction promises tax measures, but the body does not return to them, and the final paragraph simply repeats the position rather than drawing the arguments together. Use more precise referencing and transitions to show how each example supports your claim, and ensure every point introduced is developed.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.5
You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “recycled,” “legal duty,” “pollution,” and “fine,” and the German deposit example helps make the discussion specific. There are also attempts at less common phrasing, such as “manage a big city” and “turn recycling as an opportunity,” but some expressions are inaccurate or unnatural and reduce precision. For example, “the reprocess of an item” is not the natural form, and “lifting taxes” does not clearly communicate the intended policy. Spelling and word-form slips such as “forinstance,” “aleady,” and “thhink” are noticeable. Build a more reliable range of collocations for policy and recycling, and check spelling and word forms so your meaning is consistently clear.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5
You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a relative clause in “a bottle … for future use” and a reason clause beginning “This is because.” Most of the main ideas remain understandable, but some grammatical errors affect accuracy. For example, “the government impose it” needs subject–verb agreement, and “the waste have been recycled” has a singular/plural agreement problem. Articles and sentence boundaries also need attention, as in “with million of individuals” and the run-on spacing around “clean . Many people.” The sentence about taking a bottle to a supermarket is difficult to follow because its clauses are not clearly connected. Practise agreement, articles, and punctuation, and revise longer sentences into clear, controlled structures.
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