Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-08-12
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 shows a complete process of plastic bottles recycling process from the very start to collect trash bottles from bins to convert it to something worthy. We will discuss whole process in following lines.
The empty plastic bottles is the one of the major source of plastic contaminations in our Globe. To counter this major problems some countries like Germany and US are working to recycle used plastic bottles or maybe convert them into something worthy or useable.
The process start from collecting empty bottles from trash cans and loaded into trucks witch brought them to Recycling Center where these empty bottles go through a proper cleaning process and re-useable bottles are separated from others and going through further process in witch they crushed and compressed into blocks.
These blocks than crushed into small pieces and washed out clean. These small pieces again crushed via grinder to produce fine pallets. These pallets than heated and converted into Raw material witch is the basic foundation for further process to made any desired product like clothing fashionable products or any other plastic products witch are now useable in any prospective.
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
The response provides a general overview of the recycling process, but it fails to meet the requirements of an Academic Task 1 report. Instead of objectively describing the stages shown in the diagram, the response includes subjective commentary about plastic contamination in the 'Globe' and mentions specific countries like Germany and the US, which are not present in the source material. This constitutes a significant deviation from the task instructions. While the main steps are identified, the lack of an objective, analytical tone and the inclusion of irrelevant external information prevent the response from achieving a higher band score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5
The essay is organised into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the sequence of the process. However, the use of cohesive devices is somewhat mechanical and occasionally inaccurate. For example, the transition 'These blocks than crushed' is grammatically incorrect and disrupts the flow. The referencing is sometimes unclear, and the progression of ideas is hindered by the informal and conversational tone used in the introduction. While there is an overall attempt at logical sequencing, the lack of sophisticated linking words and the repetitive structure of the sentences limit the coherence of the response.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary is limited and often repetitive. There are several instances of word-choice errors, such as 'trash bottles' instead of 'plastic waste' or 'used bottles', and 'fine pallets' which likely refers to 'pellets'. The phrase 'something worthy' is used twice, which is vague and lacks the precision required for a technical description. While the student attempts to use some process-related vocabulary like 'compressed', 'crushed', and 'raw material', the overall range is narrow and insufficient to demonstrate a higher level of lexical control. Spelling errors such as 'witch' for 'which' also detract from the quality.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are consistent issues with subject-verb agreement, such as 'The empty plastic bottles is' and 'The process start'. The misuse of 'witch' instead of 'which' occurs multiple times, indicating a lack of proofreading. The sentence structures are relatively simple, and attempts at more complex sentences often result in errors, such as '...raw material witch is the basic foundation for further process to made any desired product'. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with the use of commas. These frequent errors demonstrate a limited control over grammatical structures.
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