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 diagram below illustrates the process for recycling plastic bottles.

Overall, there are 9 steps on how plastic bottles are recycled, first, from segregating all the trash, plastic bottle is collected from the a big trash container, transported by a big truck, this big truck that carries the plastic container deliver to the recycling centre to further segregate plactic bottle to other rubbish, when the segregation is performed all plastic bottle is compressed into a bog blocks. Those pile of big blocks of plastic is now introduced into a big machine that to cut into smaller pieces.

The crushed small pieces of plastic materials will under go washing to remove other unnecessary material.

cleaned plastic pellets is now further process to another machine that will produce to a raw material by heating.

The the raw material which is the end product of all collected bottles is now produce to many different materials that will sell into the market. Then the process is repeat again from end product to the recycling facilities to creating another items, the process is a never ending process.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0

The student attempts to summarise the main features of the diagram illustrating the process of recycling plastic bottles, identifying most of the key stages from collection to producing end products. However, the response suffers from several issues that limit its effectiveness. There is no clear, distinct overview paragraph outlining the main stages of the process, which is a key requirement for Task 1. Furthermore, some of the descriptions are vague or inaccurate, such as stating that the truck delivers the container to 'further segregate plactic bottle to other rubbish' instead of separating usable bottles from waste at the recycling centre. While the overall flow is traced, the lack of a proper introduction/overview and imprecise reporting of specific details keeps this criterion at Band 5.0.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.0

The response is divided into three paragraphs, but the paragraphing and structural flow are weak. The introduction lacks a proper summary statement, and sentences are often strung together with weak comma splices or repetitive conjunctions, such as 'this big truck that carries the plastic container deliver...'. Cohesive devices are either missing or misused, leading to a mechanical and disjointed progression of ideas. For instance, the transition 'The the raw material...' contains a typo and fails to smoothly connect the transformation steps. Paragraphing is not used effectively to separate distinct phases of the cyclical process. Consequently, the organization lacks clarity, meriting a Band 5.0.

Lexical Resource — Band 4.5

The student demonstrates a very limited range of vocabulary, frequently repeating basic words such as 'big', 'plastic', 'bottle', and 'process'. There are several spelling errors and typos throughout the text, including 'plactic', 'under go', 'cleaned', 'process' (used instead of processed), 'produce' (used instead of produced), and 'repeat' (used instead of repeated). Attempts to use less common vocabulary are either inaccurate in form or collocation, such as 'segregating all the trash' and 'bog blocks'. Word choice is frequently unidiomatic and lacks the precision required for an academic task, resulting in a vocabulary score of 4.5.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 4.5

Grammatical control is weak throughout the response. The text is heavily reliant on run-on sentences and comma splices, such as 'plastic bottle is collected from the a big trash container, transported by a big truck, this big truck that carries...'. There are frequent errors in verb forms, subject-verb agreement (e.g., 'plastic bottle is compressed', 'all plastic bottle is'), and voice (e.g., 'that will produce to a raw material' instead of 'to be produced into raw material'). Complex sentence structures are attempted but are almost always faulty. Frequent grammatical errors cause significant difficulty for the reader and impede smooth comprehension, placing this performance at Band 4.5.

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