Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-11

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 recycling plastic bottles collected and development stages over a raw material and producing end products.

Overall, it can clearly seen that this is a recycling process of plastic bottles into producing end products which has nine steps which starts with collected plastic's and ends with producing end products. It is a linear process.

The recycling begins in the collected bottles and plastic beg and then it went to the recycling centre to sorting the plastic after this process it compressing into blocks following this it crushing and washing after wards producing plastic pellets next it heating pellets to form raw material subsequently it raw material put on the table finally the producing end products are ready for selling.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The response fails to meet the minimum word count requirement of 150 words, reaching only 122 words. While the student identifies the main stages of the recycling process, the description is overly simplistic and lacks the necessary detail to fully explain the transformation of materials. The summary of the process is fragmented, and the failure to meet the length requirement significantly impacts the ability to provide a fully developed response. To improve, the student should expand on the specific actions at each stage, such as describing the physical changes during crushing or the purpose of heating the pellets, to ensure a more comprehensive overview.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into three short paragraphs, which is a logical structure for a process description. However, the use of cohesive devices is mechanical and repetitive. Phrases like 'after this process', 'following this', and 'subsequently' are used in a list-like fashion rather than to create a smooth flow of information. Additionally, the referencing is sometimes unclear, such as in the sentence 'the recycling begins in the collected bottles', which does not accurately describe the start of a process. More varied linking words and better sentence integration are needed to improve the flow.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.0

The vocabulary is quite limited and repetitive. The student relies on basic verbs like 'producing', 'collected', and 'forming'. There are also issues with word choice and collocation, such as 'plastic beg' (likely meant 'bags') and 'raw material put on the table', which is not a standard way to describe an industrial process. The lack of precise terminology related to recycling (e.g., 'granulation', 'polymer', 'extrusion') prevents the response from achieving a higher score. Expanding the range of vocabulary to include more specific process-related terms is essential.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0

The response contains frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. There are issues with subject-verb agreement ('it can clearly seen'), incorrect verb forms ('it went to the recycling centre to sorting'), and missing articles or incorrect pluralization ('collected plastic's'). The sentence structures are mostly simple or contain errors when attempting to link clauses. To improve, the student needs to focus on basic sentence construction, ensuring that verbs are correctly conjugated and that prepositions and articles are used accurately. The lack of complex structures also limits the score in this criterion.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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