Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-10-31
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 5.0)
Nowdays, people are facing health problems due to waste which is thrown in water or on lands moreover main problem is from waste which cant be recycled . i believe that government should make some laws for waste which cant by recycled .
first of all, it is worth considering that around daily million of plastic bag is used in day to day life . which leads to plenty of problems for enviorment and human for instance, plastic take million of years to biodegrade moreover plastic bags are o time use subsequently when people use them then they throw i waste after that all plastic garbage is throw at one place and that contanimate that are which means no agriculture work can done on that area and it will occupy the space for millions years in addtion, that waste is thrown in water bodies which may damage the aquatic animals furthermore, many people burn plastic which release harmful gases like nitrogen which is harmful for humans due to fact it can cause breathing problem moreover it done thinig in ozone layer because of that ozone layer will not capable to protect from uv rays.
Secondly, to protect from such problems government should take some legal action to fix these problems such as they should bann the plastic industries because if there will be no plastic so there will be no one to use it moreover they should have some limits on factories on production or some laws on production like on quality in addition, they should convey the message to vendor also that they will not give plastic bags to the customers for material. customers will bring their own bags.
In conclusion, the waste which cant be recycled is harmful for nature and humans subsequently government should take some action to prevent from this problems.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.5 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.0
You take a position that governments should act, and you give relevant reasons, including plastic pollution’s effects on land, water, wildlife and people. However, the response only partly answers the specific question of whether laws are needed to make households recycle more. Much of the discussion concerns banning or limiting plastic production and the harms of non-recyclable waste, rather than explaining how legal requirements would increase household recycling. Your position is also narrowed to laws for waste that “cant be recycled,” which does not clearly address the prompt’s focus on recyclable household waste. Develop a direct argument about measures such as mandatory sorting, collection rules or penalties, and explain why these would work.
Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5
The response has a recognisable structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs signalled by “first of all” and “Secondly,” and a conclusion. This gives the reader a basic route through your ideas. However, progression within paragraphs is often difficult to follow because many points are joined in long chains with “moreover,” “after that,” “in addition” and “furthermore.” For example, the first body paragraph moves from plastic bags to land contamination, aquatic animals, burning and ozone effects without clearly separating or prioritising these points. Some references, such as “that area” and “that waste,” are not fully clear. Use shorter sentences, group related effects, and make each paragraph develop one central point.
Lexical Resource: Band 5.0
You attempt topic-specific vocabulary, including “biodegrade,” “aquatic animals,” “harmful gases” and “ozone layer,” which helps communicate the environmental theme. However, the range is limited and several inaccurate word choices or spellings make parts difficult to understand. Examples include “contaminate that are” for the effect on an area, “o time use” for single-use, and “it done thinig in ozone layer,” whose intended meaning is unclear. Repeated use of “waste,” “plastic” and “problems” also limits precision. Build a more accurate set of recycling terms and check spelling and collocations; for instance, distinguish recyclable materials from non-recyclable waste and describe specific impacts with precise phrases.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0
You attempt both simple and extended sentences, and the response includes some linking clauses, such as “which leads to plenty of problems” and “because if there will be no plastic.” However, complex sentences are often faulty or run together, so relationships between ideas are not consistently clear. For example, “plastic take million of years to biodegrade moreover plastic bags are o time use” lacks accurate verb forms and punctuation, while “customers will bring their own bags” is not clearly connected grammatically to the preceding sentence. Errors also occur with articles, plurals, agreement and sentence boundaries. Practise writing shorter, complete sentences first, then combine ideas using accurate clauses and punctuation.
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.