Band 5.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.0 · Cambridge IELTS 16 · 2026-09-18
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 given diagram shows the recycling of the plastic bottles . Which is an good process . The diagram illustrates the steps of the recycling of the plastic bottle . This is very beneficial for the environment . The following steps take place for the recycling of the plastic bottles . Firstly plastic bottles are thrown to the dustbin . After this the garbage was loaded to the truck to transport it to the recycling centre . Where the garbage is sorted according to their type . After this the plastic bottles are compressed into the blocks . Then crushing of plastic bottles takes place . After this they are washed out . Next step is the production of plastic pellets . After this , the pellets are heated to form raw material . As there , raw material is produced . As the result , it ends with the production of products
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 5.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.0 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.0 |
| Overall | 5.0 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The student attempts to describe the process of recycling plastic bottles shown in the diagram, mentioning most of the key stages such as throwing bottles in the dustbin, sorting at the recycling centre, compressing, crushing, washing, producing pellets, and final end products. However, the response suffers from serious structural and content limitations. Notably, it contains redundant introductory sentences like 'Which is an good process' and 'This is very beneficial for the environment,' which offer personal commentary rather than objective reporting of visual data. Furthermore, the summary lacks a cohesive overview paragraph describing the overall cyclic nature of the process. Consequently, the task is addressed only partially, warranting a Band 5.0.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0
The text lacks proper paragraphing, being written as a single dense block of text, which severely hinders the visual and logical organisation of the response. While the student attempts a chronological sequence using transition markers like 'Firstly', 'After this', and 'Next step', the over-use and mechanical repetition of 'After this' makes the progression stilted and monotonous. Furthermore, the misuse of relative clauses and fragmented sentences—such as starting sentences with 'Which is an good process'—disrupts the flow of ideas and referencing. There is a lack of sophisticated cohesive devices, and the overall arrangement fails to guide the reader smoothly through the cyclical stages of the diagram, leading to a Band 5.0 score.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.0
The vocabulary used throughout the response is basic, repetitive, and heavily dependent on words directly lifted from the prompt, such as 'plastic bottles', 'recycling centre', 'sorting', and 'raw material'. There are noticeable word-choice and article errors, such as 'an good process' and 'garbage was loaded to the truck' instead of onto the truck. While the student attempts some less common terms like 'compressed', 'crushing', and 'pellets', the range remains limited and minimally adequate for the task. Vocabulary errors and awkward collocations cause some distraction for the reader, fitting the Band 5.0 descriptors.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.0
The student relies on a very limited range of sentence structures, primarily simple sentences linked by basic conjunctions or time markers. There are frequent grammatical errors, including article misuse ('an good process'), punctuation errors (fragmented relative clauses starting with 'Which', unnecessary commas before prepositional phrases), and tense inconsistencies (shifting between present and past tense like 'garbage was loaded'). Complex structures are rarely attempted, and when simple-to-complex forms are tried, they often result in incomplete or non-standard sentence boundaries. Due to the high frequency of basic grammatical errors and limited structural variety, a score of 5.0 is appropriate.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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