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?

Same question Compare 2 different answers (Band 6)

Sample Response

It is argued that people recycle, but there is insufficient waste from homes that are reused. Therefore, a stringent law should be enforced to make it necessary for the masses. I thoroughly agree with it as individuals will not be living in use and throw society. Besides, they will contribute to escalating carbon emissions.

First, if individuals make it indispensable to reuse the rubbish from their homes, the public will take it seriously. They will not use and throw things. To elaborate, people generally get influenced by others’ lifestyles. They buy unnecessary items, even at the cost of being heavy. However, after using it for a while, they get fed up and discard the things. Thus, they do a lot of waste of natural resources. For instance, furniture and TV screens. To make chairs and tables, a lot of wood is used, and many trees have been cut down. Consequently, human behaviour of purchasing stylish furniture and discarding old one damage the environment.

Apart from it, carbon emissions also escalate when people recycle recyclable items but not all. The material which they do not reuse is plastic bottles, polythene, and, to name but a few. They burn or dispose of these things at landfill sites, where they do not decay. Thus, these non-biodegradable substances release toxic gases, which have carcinogenic effects on our biodiversity. An imbalance in nature can be seen, which makes this planet inhospitable for humanity. If it is a must for human beings to recycle all rubbish in their homes, people will use eco-friendly products and avoid using renewable resources.

To conclude, it is clear that encouraging individuals to recycle waste from home is a proactive approach by the government. Masses will not live in a society which misuses natural resources under the influence of glamour, and a toxic environment, which people create by burning plastics, can be controlled.

IELTS Writing Correction

  • 1. State the requirement clearly Original: make it necessary for the masses Suggested revision: make recycling compulsory Why it matters: This concise phrase clearly identifies what the proposed law would require.
  • 2. Clarify the reference Original: I thoroughly agree with it Suggested revision: I strongly agree with this view Why it matters: This view has a clearer antecedent than the vague pronoun it.
  • 3. Use established term Original: use and throw society Suggested revision: a throwaway society Why it matters: Throwaway society is the standard expression for a culture of frequent disposal.
  • 4. Correct the agent Original: if individuals make it indispensable Suggested revision: if the government makes it compulsory Why it matters: The government, rather than individual citizens, is the agent that can impose the requirement described.
  • 5. Use accurate recycling verb Original: reuse the rubbish Suggested revision: recycle the waste Why it matters: Recycle the waste is the natural expression for processing household refuse.
  • 6. Use formal passive Original: get Suggested revision: are Why it matters: The standard passive form is more appropriate in formal academic writing.
  • 7. Clarify the cost Original: at the cost of being heavy Suggested revision: at considerable cost Why it matters: The original phrase does not convey a clear meaning in this context.
  • 8. Match plural antecedent Original: it Suggested revision: them Why it matters: The pronoun must agree with the plural antecedent items.
  • 9. Avoid vague repetition Original: discard the things Suggested revision: discard them Why it matters: The pronoun gives a more cohesive reference to the previously mentioned items.
  • 10. Use correct collocation Original: do a lot of waste of Suggested revision: waste a great deal of Why it matters: English uses waste directly as a verb rather than do waste of.
  • 11. Keep tense consistent Original: have been cut down Suggested revision: are cut down Why it matters: The present simple matches the general process described by is used in the same sentence.
  • 12. Use natural noun phrase Original: human behaviour of purchasing Suggested revision: the practice of purchasing Why it matters: The practice of purchasing naturally describes this repeated consumer behaviour.

Suggested Rewrites

  • make it necessary for the masses make recycling compulsory
  • I thoroughly agree with it I strongly agree with this view
  • use and throw society a throwaway society
  • if individuals make it indispensable if the government makes it compulsory
  • reuse the rubbish recycle the waste
  • get are
Overall assessment

Why this response received Band 6.0

The response takes a consistent position in favour of legal requirements and uses relevant environmental consequences to support it. However, several ideas drift from household recycling into general overconsumption, and inaccurate phrases sometimes obscure the intended reasoning. The highest priority is to explain precisely how legislation would change recycling behaviour, using one clearly relevant cause-and-effect example in each body paragraph and checking collocations for accuracy.

Band score breakdown

IELTS Writing Criteria Scores

TR

Task Response

5.5
Scoring rule

A clear pro-legislation position is maintained, but the supporting discussion often focuses on consumption and environmental damage rather than explaining how laws would increase recycling.

Next step

Build each body paragraph around a direct mechanism showing why legislation is needed and how it would alter household behaviour.

CC

Coherence and Cohesion

6.0
Scoring rule

Paragraphing and overall sequencing are clear, though some progression is weakened by loosely connected examples and mechanical linking phrases.

Next step

Use a topic sentence, a focused explanation, and one directly relevant example in each body paragraph.

LR

Lexical Resource

5.5
Scoring rule

The response attempts a reasonably broad environmental vocabulary, but frequent inaccurate collocations and word choices sometimes make the meaning difficult to follow.

Next step

Prefer precise, familiar combinations such as household waste, disposable culture, and non-renewable resources over uncertain advanced phrasing.

GRA

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

6.0
Scoring rule

The response uses both simple and complex sentence forms, but agreement, reference, article, and construction errors remain noticeable throughout.

Next step

Check noun-pronoun reference and subject-verb agreement carefully, especially in long sentences containing relative clauses.

Put the feedback to work

Write this task while it is fresh

Try the same task now. It helps you remember the feedback and write better next time.

IELTS Writing Task 2

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?

Your response

Words0
40:00

Write the task yourself, then compare your choices with the annotated response.