Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 11 · 2026-11-01

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)

MAJORITY OF POPULATION THINKS THAT GARBAGE SHOULD BE RECYCLES AND THERE SHOULD BE A WAY BY PROPOSED BY THE GOVERNMENT THAT SHOULD LEVEL UP THE RECYCLING PROCCESS .

IN MY WAY OF PROCCESSING THIS TO MY THOUGHT I CAME UP TO WITH IDEAS, AND YES I THINK THAT GOVVERNMENT SHOULD MAKE LAWS REGARGING WASTE MANAGEMENT AND THE BEST WAY IS TO MAKE A POLICY TO RECYCLE IT . IN THIS WAY PEOPLE WILL BE BOUND TO RECYCLE IT AND WILL BE ADVANTAGOUS TO THEM AS MANY OF TH WASTE IS NOT EASY TO DISPOSE SUCH AS PLASTIC BY RECYLCLING PLATICH CAN BE USED AGAIN FOR ANY OTHER PURPOSE . AND ALSO RECYCLING IS NEEDED TO BE DONE BEACUSE THERE ARE MANY OTHER FACTOR RAISED IF THE RECYCLING IS NOT IN PROCCESS SUCH AS POLLUATION IF ONE IS NOT RECYCLING THE WASTE IT WILL CAUSE DESEASES TO SPREAD AS THE DECOPOSTION IS A LONG PROCCESS AND IF WE BURN THE PLASTIC IT WIL CAUSE AIR POLLUATION WHICH IS HAZERD FOR HEALTH

FOR EXAMPLE WE CAN USE IT AGAIN BY MELTING IS TO MAKE BRICKS WHICH CAN BE USED ON PATHSWAYS AND WHEN PEOPLE WILL RECYCLE THE PLASTIC THERE WILL BE LESS WASTE

QUOTING ANOTHER EXAMPLE FROM MY OWN CITY WERE GOVERNMENT TOOK MEASURES TO OVER POLLUATION AND BANDED THE USE OF PLASTIC BAGS IN MARKET AND THE RATE OF POLLUATION DROPPED QUICKLY AS SHOPKEEPERS ARE USEING PAPER BAGES AND THE PLASTIC BAGS ARE NOT EASY TO DISPOSE WHEN THEY ARE BURNED

AI examiner evaluation

CriterionBand
Task Achievement / Task Response5.5
Coherence and Cohesion5.5
Lexical Resource5.0
Grammatical Range and Accuracy5.0
Overall5.5

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 5.5

You take a clear position that governments should introduce laws, and you give relevant reasons: plastic is difficult to dispose of, burning it can harm health, and recycling can reduce waste. The examples of making bricks from recycled plastic and your city’s restriction on plastic bags help connect the argument to practical outcomes. However, the response addresses the question only partially because it does not explain the extent to which laws are needed or consider whether other measures, such as education or convenient recycling services, could also help. Several points are asserted rather than developed; for instance, the link between waste and disease needs a clearer explanation. State your position more precisely and expand each reason with a specific explanation or example.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The response contains a recognisable line of argument: it supports government action, gives reasons, and then offers examples. Connectors such as “for example” and “another example” help signal supporting evidence. However, the ideas are presented in very long blocks, with little paragraphing, so the reader has to work to identify where one reason ends and another begins. Some links are also unclear: “in this way” does not specify which benefit it refers to, and the final example repeats the point about plastic being difficult to dispose of. Organise the essay into an introduction, separate body paragraphs for distinct reasons, and a conclusion. Use linking phrases to show relationships between ideas rather than simply adding another point.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use some relevant topic vocabulary, including “waste management,” “recycling,” “decomposition,” “air pollution,” and “policy.” This gives you a basic range for discussing the issue. However, vocabulary is limited and several words or phrases are repeated, particularly “recycle,” “plastic,” and “pollution.” Frequent spelling errors, such as “proccess,” “poluation,” and “deseases,” make parts of the response difficult to read. Some expressions are also unnatural, including “level up the recycling process” and “the rate of pollution dropped quickly.” Build a more precise set of environmental collocations and check spelling carefully. For example, use “increase recycling rates” and “reduce pollution” to express these ideas more naturally.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 5.0

You attempt to express reasons and consequences using longer sentences, including the explanation that burning plastic causes air pollution and harms health. However, the range of sentence structures is limited, and complex sentences are often difficult to follow because clauses are joined without clear punctuation. There are frequent errors in verb forms and sentence construction, as in “garbage should be recycles” and “government took measures to over pollution.” Agreement and article use are also inconsistent, for example in “many of the waste is not easy to dispose.” These errors sometimes make the intended meaning unclear. Practise writing shorter, complete sentences first, then combine related ideas with accurate conjunctions and punctuation.

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