Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-11-12

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows the process for recycling plastic bottles.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

How plastic bottles are recycled

Student answer (Band 5.0)

The diagram illustrates the process for receycling plastic bottels.

The procees begain with separting empty palstic bottels and binned in recycle dustbin, which collect by trash collection vehicle. After collecting all plactice material, all bottels arrive at recycling centre, where bottel sorting process begain, thereafter, all plactic bottels compressed in to machine and convert in to block, than crushing process take place for crush the block and make it bsmall particales of plastic and this material passes through washing process to remove unwanted material.

Once washing process completed, this plastice material convert into plastic pellets through machine and set a side for heating process. After the heating process done, raw material covert in to rwa platic material and use to make different products.

Overall, there are eig

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

You identify the main stages from putting bottles in a bin through collection, sorting, compression, crushing, washing, pellet production and heating, so the response is relevant to the diagram. However, the account is incomplete: it ends abruptly at “Overall, there are eig” and does not describe the raw material being used to produce end products or the arrows that return the process to the start. The overview is therefore unfinished, and the number of stages is not accurately stated. The response also falls 23 words short of the required minimum, limiting the detail you can provide. To improve, complete the overview and report the full closed-loop process, including examples of the products shown.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 5.5

The stages are generally presented in a sensible order, and paragraphing separates the initial stages from the later processing. Linking expressions such as “thereafter,” “Once,” and “After” help show sequence. However, the progression is weakened by a very long first paragraph that joins many stages into one sentence, and the final paragraph stops mid-thought at “Overall, there are eig.” This makes the ending unclear and leaves the overview disconnected from the process description. Some links are also awkward, such as “After the heating process done.” Use shorter, clearly punctuated sentences, give the overview a complete and prominent place, and use consistent sequencing language to guide the reader through the cycle.

Lexical Resource: Band 5.0

You use relevant process vocabulary, including “recycling centre,” “compressed,” “crushing,” “washing,” “plastic pellets,” and “raw material,” which allows the reader to recognise several key stages. However, the range is limited and some word choices or combinations are inaccurate, such as “recycle dustbin,” “trash collection vehicle,” and “set a side for heating process.” Spelling errors are frequent, including “receycling,” “bottels,” “plactice,” and “particales,” and these can make the account harder to read. Aim for accurate, conventional terms and check spelling carefully. For example, describe bottles as being placed in a “recycling bin,” collected by a “collection truck,” and turned into “small plastic pieces” before washing.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.5

You attempt to connect several stages using subordinate clauses and time expressions, as in “Once washing process completed” and “After the heating process done.” However, these structures are often incomplete or inaccurate, and many sentences contain errors in verb forms, articles, agreement, and sentence construction. For instance, “which collect by trash collection vehicle” needs a passive verb form, while “all bottels compressed in to machine” lacks an auxiliary and a clear preposition pattern. The long sentence beginning “The procees begain” also joins multiple clauses without reliable punctuation. Use a clearer mix of short and complex sentences, and check that each clause has a subject and correctly formed verb—for example, “The bottles are collected and taken to a recycling centre.”

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