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 shows the process for recycling plastic bottles,Overall there are 9 step of the recycling process,which procude step by step afterthat recycle process have been complete and how plastic bottles are recycling
firstly,All the people through the plastic bottle in the dustbin.it is the habit of all over the wolrd.after Garbage truck came and picked all the garbage.they have an own places .shorting the recycled center.and separate the plastic bottle.while they compressing into blocks,next step crushing from the machine.
secondly, crushing and through in the water,they are washing from the water beacuse all dirty garbage,remove from the pellets and after neat and clean, it is neccessary, subsequently producing plastic pellets through the machine and than next process is heating pellets to from raw material and converting in the raw material process is important step in the factory after they put material in the machine and the last process,In succession producing the material and created a product ,therefore it is reusable
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 4.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 4.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 4.0 |
| Overall | 4.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response attempts to describe the main steps of the plastic bottle recycling process, starting from throwing bottles into the bin to producing end products. However, the task achievement is significantly hindered by poor clarity, grammatical interference, and disjointed expression. While the writer mentions several stages such as sorting, compressing, crushing, washing, and producing pellets, the description fails to present a clear, well-developed overview of the cyclical nature of the process. Important stages are rushed or muddled, making it difficult to fully grasp the progression without referencing the original diagram. Consequently, the response corresponds to a Band 4.5 or 5.0, where the task is addressed only partially and ideas remain underdeveloped.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 4.0
The text suffers from severe structural and cohesive issues. Paragraphing is extremely weak, with sentences clumped together haphazardly rather than following a logical flow (e.g., mixing distinct stages like washing and pellet production into a single run-on sentence). Cohesive devices are either missing, misused, or overly simplistic, such as repetitive transitions ('firstly', 'secondly', 'after that'). There is no clear overall progression or effective referencing, making the sequence of steps confusing to follow. These flaws align closely with the Band 4 descriptors for Coherence and Cohesion.
Lexical Resource — Band 4.0
The vocabulary used is very basic and heavily repetitious ('process', 'plastic bottle', 'machine', 'material'). There are numerous incorrect word choices and awkward collocations, such as 'All the people through the plastic bottle in the dustbin', 'shorting the recycled center', and 'crushing and through in the water'. Less common items are attempted awkwardly or incorrectly. Spelling and word formation errors also appear frequently (e.g., 'procude', 'afterthat', 'through' instead of 'throw'). The range of vocabulary is limited and strains the reader, placing it firmly at Band 4.0.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.0
Grammatical control is extremely weak throughout the response. The text is plagued by severe sentence boundary errors, run-on sentences, and comma splices (e.g., 'The diagram shows the process for recycling plastic bottles,Overall there are 9 step of the recycling process,which procude step by step afterthat recycle process have been complete...'). There is a complete lack of accurate complex structures, and basic grammatical rules such as subject-verb agreement, tense consistency, and prepositions are frequently violated. Errors frequently distort meaning and impede communication, reflecting the descriptors for Band 4.0.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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