Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-27

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 recent years wastage has become increasingly common. This essay will examine the main reasons behind this trend and discuss the laws on society by the authorities. I, strongly agree that laws are necessary because many people will not recycle unless they are legally required to do so.

This trend can have several effects on environment and laws are useful that people may ignore recycling if there are no consequences. Governments can make waste separation compulsory. In other words fines can discourage people from putting recyclable waste in dustbins. These can increase recycling rates. For example, a government could require households to separate plastic, glass, paper and food waste into different bins and the announcements are compulsory for wastage to remind for households. Therefore, it leads to healthy environment without pollution.

In my view, we will face consequences when there is not laws. Firstly, laws alone are not enough. As an illustartion, some people may not know how to recycle correctly. Furthermore, recycling facilities need to be easily available, governments should educate people about environmental problems and incentives can also encourage recycling. For instance, school and public campaigns can teach public how to separate household waste properly. Thus, it helps people to utilize awareness programms such as advertisements, poster distribution and pamplets for pollution free planet.

In conclusion, it is not the responsibility of organizations to force public to follow rules and regulations. I believe that laws are important, but they should not be considered the only solution for safe environment.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is clear: you agree that laws are needed, while concluding that they should not be the only solution. You address the question with relevant points about fines, household waste separation, education and recycling facilities. The example of sorting plastic, glass, paper and food waste helps make the argument concrete. However, some ideas are not fully explained, and the opening promises to examine the “main reasons behind this trend,” which does not match the task’s focus on whether laws are needed. The claim that it is “not the responsibility of organizations to force public” also conflicts with your support for government rules. Develop the reasoning behind your position and keep the conclusion consistent with it.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response has a recognisable structure, with an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion, and the main points are generally grouped by topic. Linking expressions such as “In other words,” “Furthermore” and “In conclusion” help signal relationships between ideas. However, progression is sometimes unclear: the second body paragraph begins “we will face consequences when there is not laws” but then argues that laws alone are insufficient, so the connection needs to be made explicit. Some references are also difficult to follow, as in “These can increase recycling rates,” where the referent is not precise. The paragraph about campaigns repeats the education point without clearly extending it. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each example directly to the claim it supports.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use relevant topic vocabulary, including “recycle,” “waste separation,” “recycling facilities,” “incentives” and “environmental problems,” which allows you to discuss the issue. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “legally required” and “discourage.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “wastage has become increasingly common,” “laws on society,” and “announcements are compulsory for wastage.” Spelling errors such as “illustartion,” “programms” and “pamplets” also reduce accuracy. Aim for precise, natural combinations—for example, “household waste,” “introduce penalties,” and “public awareness campaigns”—and check spelling carefully. This would make your meaning clearer and your vocabulary more controlled.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.5

You attempt both simple and complex sentence forms, including a conditional structure in “people may ignore recycling if there are no consequences” and a sentence beginning “Furthermore.” Most of the argument remains understandable, but some grammatical errors affect clarity. Examples include “This trend can have several effects on environment,” “there is not laws,” and “some people may not know how to recycle correctly” alongside the less controlled construction “the announcements are compulsory for wastage to remind for households.” The comma in “I, strongly agree” is also unnecessary. Work on articles, subject–verb agreement, plural forms and sentence construction. For instance, write “there are no laws” and make sure each sentence has a clear subject and a complete, logically connected clause.

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