Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-07

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 4.0)

The the photo's describe that the process how recycling plastic bottles.

overall, it is clear that how plastic bottles are recycled for nine different process .

One the one hand hand, some people use plastic bottles for drink water, juice and different drink's . Firstly people throw the bottles in dustbins and collect the plastic bottles . Then came to big truck and collect all plastic bottles and gone to 3rd process recyling centre sorting and collect usefull bottles and throw other basket and next compressing into blocks then crushing bottles in big box and with washing next step was producing plasticpellets than heating pellets to form raw material next raw material found then last step was producing and products like new bottles, new drink's bottles , plastic bag's and diffrents thing's and again and again use the process and recycled the plastic bottles.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, which significantly impacts the score. While the student attempts to describe the recycling process, the summary is fragmented and lacks a clear, professional tone suitable for an Academic Task 1 report. The description of the stages is overly simplistic and relies on a narrative style rather than an analytical summary of the process. Key features are mentioned, but the lack of development and the failure to reach the required length mean the task is only partially addressed. To improve, ensure all stages are described with greater precision and ensure the response meets the minimum length requirement.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The response lacks logical organization and effective paragraphing. The text is essentially one long, run-on paragraph, which makes it difficult to follow the progression of the recycling process. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, such as the repetitive use of 'then' and 'next' to link ideas. There is no clear transition between the initial collection phase and the industrial processing stages. To improve, the student should use clear paragraph breaks to separate the introduction from the body stages and employ a wider variety of linking words (e.g., 'subsequently', 'following this', 'once the process is complete') to guide the reader through the sequence.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.0

The vocabulary is very basic and repetitive, often relying on informal phrasing like 'different thing's' and 'big box'. There are frequent errors in word formation and spelling, such as 'recyling', 'usefull', and 'plasticpellets'. The use of apostrophes is consistently incorrect (e.g., 'photo's', 'drink's', 'bag's'), which suggests a misunderstanding of pluralization rules. The range of vocabulary is insufficient to describe a technical process accurately. To improve, the student should focus on learning topic-specific terminology related to industrial processes and practice the correct use of plural nouns versus possessives.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that impede communication. There are significant issues with sentence structure, including fragments and run-on sentences (e.g., 'Then came to big truck and collect all plastic bottles and gone to 3rd process'). Subject-verb agreement is often ignored, and the use of articles is inconsistent or missing. The student relies almost exclusively on simple sentence structures, and attempts at more complex sentences are marred by errors in syntax. To improve, the student needs to focus on basic sentence construction, ensuring every sentence has a clear subject and verb, and work on consistent tense usage throughout the report.

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