Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-30

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)

The issue of whether household waste is recycled has sparked considerable debate. Some believe that household waste is not recycled sufficiently, while others argue that to make this process faster the government should take action to enforce laws. In my view, I partly agree with this point that this should increase recycling by implementing rules for the public, because if people are not aware of the importance of recycling before they can follow these laws efficiently.

One of the main reasons why I strongly support it should more important to spread awareness among people is that why and how they could reuse the things. Start to educate people or generate rules in schools before introducing laws for citizens. This is because education is compulsory before following the laws and obviously learning broaden individual's horizon to comply with law. For instance, schools introduce recycling education into the primary curriculum to raise understanding among children.

Furthermore, state should provide accessible recycling facilities in public and residential areas where citizens can easily separate dispose of their household. For example authorities could provide separate waste bins for plastics, paper, glass as well as for food waste. Moreover, government grants education and training centers to people where citizens can learn about recycling before laws are enforced.

In conclusion, while there are arguments on both sides, I firmly believe that awareness comes first and laws after. Las are necessary to increase recycling on the other hand, awareness and education comes first. Government should provide accessible recycling facilities.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 6.0

Your position is that laws can help, but awareness and education should come first, which responds to the question and is restated in the conclusion. You also give relevant supporting points, including school education and accessible bins for different materials. However, the extent of your agreement is not fully clear: the opening says you “partly agree,” while the conclusion says laws are “necessary,” without explaining how far legal requirements should go. Some ideas are also less developed than others. For example, you mention education in schools and training centres, but do not explain how these measures would change household behaviour or why they should precede legislation. Clarifying your position and developing one or two examples would make the response more complete.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 6.0

The response has a recognisable overall structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs and a conclusion. The ideas generally move from awareness and education to facilities and then to a final summary. Linking expressions such as “Furthermore,” “For instance” and “In conclusion” help signal these stages. However, some connections are mechanical or unclear. The first body paragraph begins with “One of the main reasons why I strongly support it should more important,” making the relationship between your position and the point difficult to follow. The conclusion repeats awareness and facilities without clearly synthesising the argument. Use clearer topic sentences and connect each example directly to the claim it supports; this would make progression smoother and references easier to follow.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.5

You use a relevant range of topic vocabulary, including “household waste,” “recycling facilities,” “curriculum,” and “accessible,” and the reader can generally understand your meaning. There are also attempts at more formal phrasing, such as “sparked considerable debate.” However, several word choices and collocations are inaccurate or awkward, including “make this process faster,” “separate dispose,” and “government grants education and training centers to people.” “Las” in the conclusion also appears to be a spelling error for “Laws.” These choices sometimes make the intended meaning less precise. Aim for natural combinations such as “increase recycling rates,” “sort household waste,” and “provide training,” and check spelling and word forms during revision.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt both simple and complex sentences, including a conditional explanation beginning “because if people are not aware” and a relative clause in “where citizens can easily…”. This shows some range, but errors in sentence construction and agreement recur and occasionally make meaning difficult to follow. For example, “I partly agree with this point that this should increase recycling” has an unclear clause structure, while “awareness and education comes first” has a subject–verb agreement error. The sentence beginning “One of the main reasons why…” is also incomplete or poorly formed. Work on building a clear subject–verb structure in each sentence, and check articles, agreement and punctuation. More accurate control of these patterns would make your complex ideas easier to understand.

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