Plan this opinion essay about environment with the ideas and outline below, write it on a 40-minute timer, then compare it with a band-8 model answer.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write about the following topic:
Governments should make recycling compulsory for all households and punish those who do not comply.
To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
GoPrep wrote this practice question in the style of the exam. It is not an official IELTS question.
Pick two or three points from one or both columns. You do not need all of them, and your own examples score better than memorised ones.
Spend the first few minutes planning, then write.
0 words of 250 minimum
Your answer stays on this page only. Copy it before you leave.
Write your own answer first, then compare: how it answers the exact question, what each paragraph does, and which phrases you could borrow.
Some people argue that recycling should be compulsory for all households, with penalties for those who fail to comply. I agree that recycling must be strongly encouraged, but I believe that education and good facilities are more effective than punishment.
Those in favour of compulsion have a point. Voluntary schemes often fail to reach everyone, and a significant proportion of households continue to throw recyclable materials into general waste. A legal requirement sets a clear standard and signals that recycling is a civic duty, not an optional hobby. Fines can also change behaviour quickly. In Germany, rules on separating waste, backed by penalties, have helped the country achieve one of the highest recycling rates in the world. The resulting reduction in landfill and savings in raw materials benefit the entire community.
However, punishment has serious limitations. Many people do not recycle because they do not understand the rules, or because collection services are inconvenient or unavailable; for example, residents of flats may have no space for several bins. Fining them would be unfair and could create resentment, and checking every household's rubbish would be costly, intrusive and difficult to enforce. In addition, people who feel forced may carry out the task carelessly, mixing materials and contaminating whole batches.
A more effective approach is to make recycling simple and rewarding. Councils can provide clear colour-coded bins, regular collections and collection points close to housing estates, and use schools and media campaigns to explain what can be recycled and why. Deposit-return schemes for bottles and discounts for households that produce little waste give positive incentives. Fines could be kept only for repeated and deliberate refusal.
In conclusion, recycling is vital, but education, convenience and incentives will achieve more lasting results than compulsion and punishment, so I only partly agree with the proposal.
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| mandatory | required by law |
| household waste | rubbish from homes |
| sort waste | separate rubbish types |
| fine | money penalty |
| recycling rate | share of waste recycled |
| landfill site | rubbish dump |
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