Band 4.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.5 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-17

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 4.5)

The diagram illustrate the operation revolves around recycling plastic that can be used Benficially in future necessitates.

the process starts with collecting trash deposed by locals into trash, after that it transported to the center where it intentionally classified where as it's done on transportation stage.

next step follows up to turning the sorted trash into a mutilpe blocks which individually crashed down into small particles following into new stage procedure of washed out, moved towards production segment where those particular convert into plastic pellets,turning into raw material which shaped out into block,despite there resemblance with early stages blocks, these stages blocks are different in terms of material, completion of first cycle done by transforming raw material into specific daily life product which could be use and xan easily disposed off and the cycle goes on

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 4.5

The response is under-length, containing 136 words against the 150-word minimum requirement, which directly impacts the completeness of the task. While the student attempts to outline the 9-stage process from bottle collection to end products, the description lacks clarity and fails to adequately report all key features and transitions of the diagram. For instance, the transition from washing to pellet production and the final stage of manufacturing end products are awkwardly phrased and obscure the visual data. Because the word count falls below the required threshold and the coverage of the process is incomplete and underdeveloped, a band score of 4.5 is assigned under the descriptors.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0

The response suffers significantly in terms of structural cohesion and paragraphing. The entire text consists of only two run-on sentences, lacking proper separation into distinct paragraphs or logical steps of the process. Cohesive devices are either misused or absent, resulting in a confusing flow of information. Phrases like "next step follows up to turning the sorted trash into a mutilpe blocks" create unnatural links between stages. There is no clear overall progression due to the dense, unpunctuated structure of the sentences. This falls short of the expectations for Band 5, but warrants a Band 4.0 as the information is arranged in a roughly chronological sequence despite the severe mechanical faults.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The student attempts to use less common vocabulary related to the process, such as "intentionally classified", "production segment", and "plastic pellets". However, frequent spelling mistakes ("Benficially", "mutilpe", "crashed", "resemblance") and inappropriate word choices ("trash deposed", "washed out") severely impede communication and demonstrate weak control over word formation and collocation. Vocabulary is often repetitive or restricted to basic terms. The range is minimally adequate to convey a recycling theme, but the density of errors limits the score to a Band 4.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0

Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. The text is dominated by massive run-on sentences with severe punctuation errors, such as missing capitalisation at the start of sentences and comma splices. There is a lack of control over complex structures, leading to tangled clauses like "despite there resemblance with early stages blocks, these stages blocks are different in terms of material". Errors in verb forms, articles, and prepositions are frequent and often obscure the intended meaning. This performance fits the Band 4.0 descriptor, where errors frequently distort meaning and grammatical structures are very limited.

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

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